


After Story: Reconciliation

by Magnus_Prime



Category: Clannad
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-07-27 03:58:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 30,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7602490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magnus_Prime/pseuds/Magnus_Prime
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An 'After' story based on Kyou's route from the VN/Anime 'Clannad'. Many changes come to Tomoya and Kyou as they grow as individuals and as a couple. How will they face these changes?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A New Term

 

 

**Kyou After Story: Reconciliation**  
_A Tomoya /Kyou fanfiction_

 

**Chapter One: A New Term**

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

I reached over to hit the ‘snooze’ button on my alarm clock when I remembered that I didn’t own one. So where was that noise coming from?

_BEEP…BEEP…BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP_

I rolled over in bed and tried to figure out where the alarm was coming from. My brow furrowed as I realized that it was coming from…outside?

I pulled open the curtains over my bed and looked towards the street. There sat Kyou on her bike, glaring at my house and occasionally pushing on the console between the handlebars.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

She studied my house before apparently noticing me in the window. She lifted her hands as if to say “Well?”

I quickly got out of bed and got dressed before heading downstairs, nearly tripping over my dad, and out the door.

“Hurry up, slowpoke! You’re gonna make us late!” she scolded as I ran up to her.

I looked at her incredulously. “You came here just to wake me up? If you’re late to school, it’s your fault!”

“Idiot!” she countered. “I’ve come to pick you up!” She reached around, out of sight, behind herself and produced a helmet. “Wear this and get on!”

Figuring I could ask about it later I obeyed, sliding behind her on the seat as she made space. I wrapped my arms around her and felt a sudden heat from her. “I’m ready.”

At least I thought I was. She took off so quickly that I almost fell off the seat. “Easy, Kyou!

She glared over her shoulder at me for a moment and I could see a redness to her cheeks. “It’s your fault, you know. If you had been ready when I got there-”

“All right, all right, I get it,” I said in defeat. “Sorry.”

“As long as you understand…”

“I think so.”

She flashed a smile over her shoulder this time. “Then it’s okay!”

After that, I relaxed as much as I could and just enjoyed the rest of the ride to school.

***

After parking her bike and collecting my helmet, she latched onto my arm. “Hee hee…”

“Hey,” I protested, “this is nice, but we’re going to be late.”

She rose up onto her tip-toes mid-stride and playfully but gently blew in my ear. “It’s okay; we’re on time most of the time, right?”

 I sighed but let her do as she wanted. She was a free spirit, after all. “Speak for yourself; I’m still trying to fix my reputation.”

She winced like I’d pinched her. “Ouch, that’s right. All right Tomoya, we’ll hurry.”

I started to pick up my pace, and then noticed that I could feel her…softness…on my arm. “Well, maybe I could be a little late today…”

“Not happening.” She gave me a knowing grin. “Don’t worry; I’ll make sure to hold your arm during lunch.”

I have an awesome girlfriend.

***

“So…Saturday?” she asked rather suddenly as I walked her home from school.

“Mmm? Sorry Kyou, I was lost in thought.”

She giggled. “I was asking about Saturday. You free after school?”

I grunted. “Of course, unless you count hanging out with Sunohara.”

She gave me a coy look, almost obscured by her bangs. “Oh, would you rather hang out with Yohei than with your girlfriend, then?”

I returned with a half-annoyed look. “Of course not. I only hang out with him when I need some amusement.”

She snorted into laughter. “I didn’t expect such an honest answer!”

“Anyway, Saturday’s fine. Was there anything in particular you wanted to do?”

She shook her head and I could feel her hair gently tap my back. Her hair was growing, sure, but I still missed the old longer version. “Naw, just wanted to hang out.” She gave me an impish grin. “Whatever you can afford to treat me to.”

I shrugged without thinking, and lightly conked Kyou on the chin with my shoulder. “Oh, sorry. Well, it’s not going to be much this time, since it’s an off-week.” I sighed. “Maybe I should look into a part-time job.”

Her smile faded into a thoughtful expression. “Yeah you could, but that would mean less time for us.”

“Yeah.” I always enjoyed watching my girl think.

“I mean, you would have more money for fun stuff, but less time to do it. Although…more money and less time could mean higher-quality time!”

I had a feeling she was about to decide the course of my life.

“You know, it’s not right of me to decide stuff like this for you,” she said, surprising me. She put her arms around me and squeezed, and I could feel the affection coming from her. “Think it over; if you need a sounding board, you know where to find me.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, thanks.”

“Aaanyway,” she practically cooed, “how about the park? We could practice kissing…again…if you want.” She glanced at me several times from under her eyelashes.

I felt my face heat up. “How could I say ‘no’?”

Did I mention that I have an awesome girlfriend?


	2. A Day at the park

**Chapter Two: A Day at the Park**

As had become our custom for dates, we met at the park at 10 AM. We really didn’t have a plan, other than conversation and snuggling (it helped that the weather was starting to get cooler). Oh, and lunch. Fortunately, Kyou had told me that she would take care of it, so I knew I could look forward to a gourmet-class lunch.

My girlfriend was a really good cook.

“Tomoya!” I heard from behind. With as many times as she came up to me from behind, I was starting to think that I was a character in an anime or something.

I smiled as she jogged up to me. “I don’t know why I don’t think to pick you up at your house. I mean, how long have we been dating?”

She smiled in return as she gave me a hug, followed by a peck on the cheek. “Three months, fourteen days, nine hours, and…” she checked her watch, “fifty-eight minutes. Roughly,” she finished with another smile.

“Not that anyone’s counting, right?” I quipped.

“Nope!” she replied as she showed me the lunch she had brought. “Ready to eat?”

“Not for another two hours!” I chuckled at her enthusiasm. “What do you want to do in the meantime?”

So, for the next two hours we…well, we played. On the swings, on the slides and, even though I ending up feeling foolish, on the play structures. I never knew Kyou could be such a kid! I never knew that I could, either.

Before we knew it, noon had come, and Kyou and I spread out a blanket on the grass. On it she spread...well, a lot of bento boxes, along with a couple of thermos bottles which, I assumed, had different kinds of tea in them.

“Excellent as usual, Fujibayashi Kyou-san!” I spoke as though I was complimenting a stranger. “I’ll have to come to this restaurant more often!”

“Tomoya, you’re a silly boy!” she replied as she munched on some kind of meat-based food. Then her face became more serious. “Hey, have you given any thought to…well…what I asked about?”

I knew very well what she was talking about: Meeting her parents. Ryou and I were already on good terms, of course. But I had never met her parents.

To be honest, I didn’t really want to meet them. Not because I thought that they would be bad people or anything; I was more concerned about what they would think of one of their daughters dating a ‘delinquent’. With their other daughter dating a world-class athlete…

“Are you still worried about that?” Kyou asked, apparently reading the narration. “I’ve told you; if we just explain it to them, they’ll understand. Heck, they might even be able to help in some way!”

“I know; it’s just that…” I wasn’t sure how to finish my thought.

My girlfriend shook her head with a slight smile. “You’re so stubborn Tomoya, you know that?” She drew an errant lock of hair back over her ear before reaching out to give my hand a squeeze. “But that’s one of the things that I love about you.”

I could tell she was watching for a reaction, and my face didn’t disappoint as I felt it grow hot, causing her to giggle. “Knock it off, woman,” I complained half-heartedly as I reached for another sandwich. Truth be told, I didn’t mind the attention.

She reached out and cupped my face with her hand. “No. You have a lot of great qualities that you don’t know about, and I’m going to keep telling you about them until you believe me.”

This time I had to chuckle. “Well, at least I know there’s one person who believes in me.”

She pulled her hand away from my face to playfully swat my arm. “Now you know better than that! I believe in you, Ryou believes in you…shoot, even Miss Student Body President believes in you!”

I never could figure out why Kyou didn’t like Tomoyo. I mean, I don’t expect everyone to be best friends or anything, but I figured we should all be able to talk to or about each other politely. So Kyou’s attitude toward the student body president was a mystery to me, even after asking her about it. ‘I just don’t like her’ was the only answer I would get.

Trying to change the subject I asked, “How are Ryou and her…boyfriend doing?”

“They’re doing fine. Kappei’s getting the treatment that should get rid of his cancer while allowing him to run again.” She smiled knowingly. “What’s the matter, Tomoya? Jealous?”

Before I could reply, she continued. “Don’t worry; I think I understand. I’ve heard that the first relationship is always the hardest.”

I felt more than a little guilty. “I’m really trying to keep her out of ours.”

She sighed as she looked off into the distance. “Look, if I had been honest from the beginning, we might have avoided a lot of trouble.”

“I’m not trying to blame you…or anyone, for that matter.” I sighed. “I’m sorry Kyou, I didn’t mean to-”

She quickly put her hand on my mouth. “I know, I know, and I’m sorry for turning the conversation that way.” She looked away again. “I guess I still feel guilty for the way things happened.”

That was quite an admission from Kyou… or was it? One thing I had learned while dating her was that the Kyou I saw before wasn’t the real Kyou. She told me that she had been harsh with me to push down her own feelings for me, to get herself ‘out of the way’ so Ryou and I could date without worry.

Sunohara, on the other hand, she treated badly because she thought he was a jerk. At least until she tried to use him to knock down the rumors about her and me. After that they got along…okay, I guessed.

I shrugged, and gave what had to be an awkward smile, since I felt…well, awkward. “What can we say, huh? We’re still high-school students. Sure, we think a lot, but we still have growing to do, right?”

She glowered at me. “Speak for yourself, Socrates.” Her glare immediately faded. “Seriously though, you’re right. I really shouldn’t be hard on myself over this. You and Ryou have been so good to me through all of this.”

“Well, we both…” I coughed. Stupid male pride. “We lo-…well, you know.”

Kyou was kind enough to save me. “I get it; you both love me, just in different ways, is that it?”

I nodded. “Yeah. One of these days I’m going to be able to say stuff like that without feeling like a dork.”

She smiled affectionately. “Yeah, well…that gives me something to look forward to.”

She finished her meal and cleaned up her stuff while she waited for me to finish. She rearranged the lunch boxes to give herself enough room to then lie down on the blanket. She glanced at me with a smile before closing her eyes, and I knew what was expected of me.

After finishing my meal I packed up the boxes and set them just off of the blanket before laying back to snuggle with my girl. She turned her back to me and scooted toward me until her back was to my chest, and I wrapped my free arm around her middle, giving her breasts plenty of clearance. I smiled when I heard her sigh of satisfaction. “Happy?” I asked.

She sighed again. “Very.”

I must have dozed off, because when I opened my eyes again, I could tell that the sun was lower in the sky than before. Apparently Kyou had napped as well; A couple of minutes later I heard her yawn as she stretched out her arms. “Oof, I needed that,” she said before rolling in place and giving me a peck on the lips.

We spent the rest of our time just making small talk: school, homework, her family. At the end of the day she saw me off with a kiss on the cheek.

I have an awesome girlfriend.


	3. Meeting the Boyfriend

**Chapter Three: Meeting the Boyfriend**

I felt more than a little nervous as I knocked on the front door to Kyou’s house. I wouldn’t be meeting her parents this time, but I would be meeting Fujibayashi’s new boyfriend for the first time, and I still didn’t know how I was supposed to feel about that.

The door opened to reveal a young man, probably a few years older than me, with blond hair and light brown eyes. At first I thought a woman had answered the door, but the way he held himself quickly told me otherwise.

His face brightened when he saw me. “Hey, you must be Kyou’s boyfriend, right? Okazaki-san?”

I nodded without changing my expression. “That’s me. And you are…?”

He thumped his chest proudly. “Hiragi Kappei. I’m Ryou’s boyfriend.”

At the words ‘Ryou’s boyfriend’ a rock formed in my stomach. I knew that at some point she would start dating again, but I never realized that it would affect me this way. I felt…jealous…for some reason.

I still managed to extend my hand. “Nice to meet you,” I replied as I forced a smile to my face.

This was going to be a long night…

***

“Kappei-kun was a runner for Japan,” Fujibayashi explained. “Then he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. He came to the hospital where I work on the weekends, and we got to know each other.” She smiled shyly. “After some…interesting interactions, he asked me out, and the rest is as you see it.”

I looked at Hiragi, and found it hard to believe that just a few months ago he was battling for his life. Due to an experimental treatment, he started improving almost immediately. It would be a while before he could run like he used to, but still…

“I’m not quite out of the woods yet, but it’s still a miracle,” Hiragi was gushing with his arm around Fujibayashi. “I had given up on life, and then along comes Ryou-chan. If it weren’t for her, I’d be dead already.” He leaned over and gave his girlfriend a peck on the cheek.

“Kappei-kun, not in front of the others,” she protested, blushing furiously.

I smiled as I watched the two of them together, and I felt some of my jealousy fade. They had gone through something major together, and I couldn’t get mad at Hiragi over it. “So how long have you been dating?”

Hiragi looked over at his girlfriend, who blushed again. “How long would you say? About three…four months?”

“That sounds about right,” she replied before looking over at the two of us. “There really wasn’t any ‘point’ where it happened; we were close before we knew it.” Her face grew thoughtful. “I suppose one point could have been where I threatened to get myself preg-” She cut herself off, and I thought her face would burst into flame with the blush that flared. “Never mind that; I think Kappei-kun is right.” She quickly lowered her eyes to her clasped hands.

Whatever she had started to say must have been funny, since he started laughing, leaving Kyou and me out of the joke.

Shortly after, Kyou left for the kitchen, leaving me with the two other lovebirds. As Hiragi and I talked I kept noticing Fujibayashi looking at me, but every time I’d look her way she’d quickly look away, usually at Hiragi.

He apparently noticed too, because he turned to her. “Ryou, did you want to talk to him about this tonight?”

I looked from one to the other. “To me? About what?”

“The sooner the better,” Fujibayashi said, apparently ignoring my questions. “Let’s wait until Onee-chan gets back, though.”

“That’s a good idea,” Hiragi agreed, nodding.

“What’s going on?” My tone was almost demanding; I didn’t like feeling ignored.

Hiragi smiled at me. “Don’t worry, Okazaki-san; we’ll clear everything up when Kyou-chan gets back.”

I ‘humphed’ and settled back into the couch. “I hate feeling out of the loop.”

Fujibayashi bowed slightly. “I’m sorry.”

Just then, Kyou returned. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes…” I heard her trail off as Fujibayashi looked up over my shoulder. “Oh…Ryou, did you want to take care of…that?…now?”

Fujibayashi nodded, and I could tell that she was nervous about something; I had dated her for a while, so I could tell somewhat. As she got up from the couch she asked, “Okazaki-kun, would you come with me, please?”

I looked from Fujibayashi to Hiragi to Kyou; the latter two nodded, smiling but with a seriousness to them. I looked back to Fujibayashi. “Okay, lead the way.”

I had never been to the Fujibayashi house before, so all I could remember were a couple of hallways to a medium-sized room; a study, I guessed.

Fujibayashi moved to the opposite side of the room and turned toward me, her hands clasped in front. “Okazaki-kun…”

Something about her tone made me nervous. “Y-Yes, Fujibayashi?”

She smiled sadly. “’Fujibayashi’…” she repeated wistfully, then hesitantly looked at me with reddened and teary eyes. “Okazaki-kun…” She sniffed. “I’m glad that we dated, and I’m glad that we could go back to being friends after it…didn’t work out…but…”

I waited patiently while my friend composed herself.

She suddenly closed the distance and wrapped her arms around me, sobbing. For some reason, this brought tears to my own eyes, and it hit me: we may have parted as friends but we still parted, and I think that she needed to mourn the loss of our dating relationship. My own tears told me that maybe I needed to, as well.

I would later feel very self-conscious about my behavior but, at the time, I wrapped my arms around her trembling body and allowed myself to grieve the loss of our dating relationship.

I felt a presence and looked up to see Hiragi reaching out to touch Fujibayashi on the shoulder. She let go of me and, still crying, let her boyfriend hold her.

I wiped my eyes and as I watched the two, I felt a pair of arms wrap around my waist, and I raised a hand to cover Kyou’s as she held me from behind.

***

“She’d been like this for about the last…three weeks,” Hiragi explained as we sat sipping tea. The twins had left to finish the meal preparation. “She seemed distant all of a sudden, and I couldn’t figure out why.”

I grunted. “I think I know what you mean. I’ve been happy with Kyou-chan, but I’ve felt for a while like I’ve been dragging something behind me.” I took a sip to give myself a moment to think. “I mean, we agreed to go back to being friends, but I guess we needed to…well, do what we just did. Sorry for being a problem.”

Hiragi held up his hands as though to deflect my apology. “No, it’s completely okay. I’m just glad that Ryou could get the closure that she needed.” He grinned wryly. “I’ll admit, though, that I wasn’t really comfortable with her hugging you like that.”

I chuckled. “I think I understand. Don’t worry, I’ll keep my hands off your girlfriend from now on.”

He chuckled as well, “Oh, I’m not worried about that. You’re a good man, Tomoya and, believe it or not, I’m glad that you two are still friends.”

“Thanks. Me too.” I smiled at him awkwardly. “Just…take good care of her, okay?”

He gave me a ‘thumbs-up’ and a knowing grin. “You got it.”


	4. Planning

**Chapter Four: Planning**

I let out a sigh as I rested against the tree in the courtyard, enjoying the nice smell of some flower from Kyou’s hair as she rested against me. We had already finished our lunches, so we were just quietly enjoying each others’ company as we waited for the first bell to ring.

“…?”

“Hmm?” I thought I heard a question from my girlfriend, snapping me out of my reverie. “Sorry, did you ask me something?”

“Yeah, I asked ‘So, what’s your class doing for the culture festival?’”

“I don’t know; I was probably asleep when the decision was made,” I grunted.

“Tomoya! You need to stay awake in class!” She sat up and turned to continue scolding me. “What kind of job do you think you’re going to get with less than a high-school education?”

“Kyou…” This again? I sighed. Well, maybe it was time to come clean. “I fall asleep in class because I can’t sleep at night.”

“Huh?”

“My, uh…dad and I don’t get along. But I still live with him, so going home means seeing him. I try to stay away from the house when I know he’s going to be home, but-”

“Let me guess; He gets home late, so you get home later, so you don’t get to bed until…”

“…usually about two to three in the morning,” I admitted.

She blinked a couple of times, clearly surprised. “I can’t believe I’ve never heard about this before! That explains a lot. Good thing you have youthful energy on your side, I guess.” One corner of her mouth twitched as she thought. “Well, we’ll just have to come up with different sleeping arrangements for you…somehow.”

“That’d be good. I don’t really like staying out that late. I mean, being with you has given me a reason to do well in school, but…” I felt my face heat up at the admission.

She smiled as she reached out and patted my cheek. “That’s very sweet of you.” Then her expression turned serious. “Like I said; we’ll just have to find another place for you to sleep.”

“Easy as that!” I quipped, apparently earning a playful whack to my arm.

“Do you have anyone else you could crash with? Other than Yohei, that is?”

My laugh sounded more like a bark. “Like I’d ever crash with him! But to answer your question; No, I don’t.”

Kyou’s brow furrowed and her mouth twisted. “You can’t stay at my place; my parents wouldn’t want a boy sleeping in the same house with their daughters, not to mention that you and I are dating; that would raise suspicions even higher.” She crossed her arms. “I’ll talk to my mom and dad anyway; they might have some ideas, but they might have to meet with you to be any real help. That would work out anyway, since they’ve been wanting to meet you for a while, now.”

“I’ll see what I can do, too,” I replied. “I don’t like the idea of my girlfriend doing all the work. By the way, what is your class doing for the festival?” After hearing about her parents, I was desperate to change the subject.

She rolled her eyes. “A maid café. How original, right?” I saw a look of realization, then a catty smile. “I suppose one benefit is that you’ll get to see your girlfriend in a maid uniform.” She leaned closer to me. “Wouldn’t you like to see me in a maid outfit?”

I found myself swallowing hard. “To be honest, I’m trying very hard not to imagine it.”

She burst out laughing as she turned away to lean back against me again. “All right, I won’t tease you about it any more.”

“Thank you.”

“I mean, you’ll be seeing it soon enough anyway, won’t you?”

That earned her a playful whack to the arm. “Ow!” she complained before laughing again.

After that we just sat and enjoyed the warmth of the sun until end-of-lunch bell rang.

***

“Hey, you want to make it a double-date with Ryou and Kappei?” Kyou asked as she latched herself to my arm for our walk home.

“A double-date? Sounds goo-Wait, make what a double-date?”

She smiled brightly. “At the culture festival, of course! So, do you wanna?”

I took the span of one deep breath to think about it. “Wait a minute; All of us except Hiragi-san will be working. How would we do that?”

Her smile changed to a somewhat withering look. “You’re asking that while knowing that Ryou and I are class reps? She and I will just coordinate the schedules so the three of us are on break at the same time.”

I found myself nodding. “Yeah, that sounds good. Yeah, if you can pull that off, count me in.”

The fist-pump she gave was something new to her, but I was starting to get used to it. “Great! To tell the truth, Ryou and I have already been working on it, so we should be good.”

Because of what I knew about Kyou, I had to ask: “You’re not going to be shorting anyone their break, are you?”

She gave me an impish grin. “No one important.” At my look of disbelief, she laughed. “No, everyone will be taken care of, so calm down. It’s not like Ryou would let me get away with it anyways.”

I had to chuckle at that. “Yeah, I could just hear her now…”

“’Onee-chan! You shouldn’t cheat people out of their breaks! They’re working hard, too!”’ Kyou mimicked. We weren’t trying to be mean, but imagining Fujibayashi’s reaction to the idea was too funny.

Still chuckling, I asked, “Does the festival run the whole weekend this year?”

She nodded. “Yup. I guess Miss Student Body President wanted to impress a lot of people, so she convinced the school administration to run it for both days this time.”

Miss Student Body… “Kyou, do you have a problem with Sakagami-san?”

It was kinda cute the way my girlfriend sniffed. “She’s arrogant and violent-”

“This from the girl who regularly planted books in the ground, in Sunohara’s face…” I trailed off and stopped walking as I noticed her expression. “Aw damn Kyou, I’m sorry. I forgot that-”

“Don’t worry about it,” she replied, clearly subdued. “It’s going to take a while for you to get used to this…to me. I understand.”

I couldn’t think of anything else to say, so I just held her and cursed my bad memory. I looked forward to getting to know the real Kyou over the one who had to hide her feelings.

I really looked forward to that.


	5. Culture Festival

**Chapter Five: Culture Festival**

I later found out that my class was planning to do a haunted house. Lovely.

It turned out to be not so bad; my classmates apparently figured that I wouldn’t help out anyway, so they didn’t put my name on the roster for anything. So, I was effectively free for the entire culture festival. That would make scheduling with the girls a lot easier.

***

The four of us met up at the entrance to the school before the festival opened.

“…so, let’s meet up at my classroom at 2:05. Ryou and I will need a little time to change; that’s why I have the extra five minutes.”

Kyou had been planning the schedule for our time together for…well, pretty much ever since the festival had been announced. As she found out what each class would be doing, she adjusted her plans to account for it; if we wanted to check it out, she added it; if not, she didn’t.

I had plans of my own as well. I intended to visit Kyou’s maid café and sit where she would be serving. Then, if I got the chance, I’d pinch her butt at an opportune time. She’d probably kill me for it, but I could live with that.

“Considering that we’ll only have about an hour,” Kyou continued, “I thought that the best things to do would be the ring toss game, the fishing game, and then finish with takoyaki and ice cream stalls for a picnic of sorts.” She looked around at the rest of us. “Does that sound okay?”

Hiragi-san gave a thumbs-up. “Sounds good to me! Ryou-chan?”

The younger twin nodded with a smile. “I like that. We can play, and then eat.”

“Good,” Kyou replied. “Tomoya?”

“I have no problems with it,” I replied. “Is there anything you or Fujibayashi would like us boys to do while you’re working?”

Her eyebrows jumped, and I could tell that she was impressed. “Well, each of our classes has people responsible for getting us drinks to keep us hydrated if necessary.” She looked over at Fujibayashi, who nodded. “I guess you could take the time to get to know each other better.” She smirked.”After all, you two are going to be brothers-in-law someday.”

“Onee-chan!” Fujibayashi had turned her trademark shade of red, and Hiragi-san laughed loudly while patting her shoulder.

I could tell that we were going to have a good time.

***

“This is impressive!” Hiragi looked around us with wonder. “It’s not as big as my old high school, but still…”

I didn’t have any basis for comparison, so I said nothing.

We checked the list that Kyou had made and made sure to stay away from those stands so we could all visit them for ‘the first time’. Didn’t want to spoil any surprises, I guess.

There really wasn’t much to look at – that was interesting, at least. The usual food stands, carnival games…

“Tomoya!”

I heard a vaguely familiar voice behind me. I turned to see a bear with a human head. That was interesting. “Yeah? What can I do for you?”

The girl ran a hand through silver locks. “You remember me, right? Sakagami Tomoyo?”

Of course I remembered her from our conversations in the hall as I would watch her beat up Sunohara. “Right, you’re the new Student Body President.” I smiled lopsidedly. “I don’t know whether to congratulate you or give you my condolences.”

She flashed a smile as she finished straightening her hair. “I hear you. Congratulations would be good, though; now I can save the cherry blossom trees, but that’s not why I’m here.” She secured the costume’s head under her arm. “I wanted to thank you for coming to school more often. I assume you have something going on that’s made it tough, but I’m glad to see you here more often.”

I coughed to cover my embarrassment. “No problem. My girlfriend’s counting on me, and I don’t want to graduate from high school as a total idiot.”

“Girlfriend?” For some reason, Sakagami seemed surprised. She got her composure back quickly enough, though. “O-Of course you have a girlfriend…the younger Fujibayashi, right?”

As expected, Hiragi piped up then. “No Miss; Ryou-chan is my girlfriend.”

The wince was easier to suppress this time.

“Okazaki here is dating the older twin, Kyou.”

My eyebrows jumped when Tomoyo clearly bristled at my girlfriend’s name. Was the animosity mutual? “Oh, her.” She blinked, then turned to me with what seemed like an apologetic look. “Sorry Tomoya, but I’ve been concerned about the way she treats the other students, not to mention our textbooks.”

I gave what I hoped was my most disarming smile. “I understand, Sakagami-san-”

“Tomoyo.”

“Huh?”

She took a step closer. “Call me ‘Tomoyo’. We know each other well enough, and I trust you enough as well.”

“Oh. O-okay…Tomoyo.” I glared at Hiragi, who was trying to keep from laughing. “I understand your concern about Kyou, but she’s not like that anymore.” I thought of Sunohara. “At least not with me.”

Tomoyo had started to talk about her relief over the situation being resolved when my old sixth sense kicked in. Before any of us knew it I had pushed Hiragi and Tomoyo to the ground just before something impacted behind me.

I turned to see what appeared to be a cafeteria tray in the middle of a crater too big for the tray itself to have created. “Oh, shit…” I don’t normally swear, but this was bad.

I caught a glimpse of Kyou at the window to her classroom just before she turned away and I could see fury in her eyes. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why: Not only was I talking to another girl, that ‘another girl’ just happened to be Kyou Enemy #1: Sakagami Tomoyo.

I helped a shaken Hiragi to his feet. “What was that?!” he exclaimed.

“A cafeteria tray,” I answered. “Thrown by one pissed-off girlfriend.”

“Not Ryou-chan,” Hiragi asked, clearly horrified.

I shook my head. “No. Kyou’s pissed, and I think it’s because she saw me talking to Tomoyo.”

Suddenly I wasn’t looking forward to 2:05 any more.


	6. 2:05 PM

**Chapter Six: 2:05 PM**

I paced in front of where the twins were expected to come out. Hiragi kept telling me that everything would be fine, that I just needed to explain myself, and that everything would be okay after that. I really hoped he was right, but…I checked my watch. 2:03.

Ryou came hustling out of the door, still in her maid attire, very upset. “Okazaki-kun?” she puffed; apparently she had run the whole way from the classroom. “Onee-chan is very upset.”

“Yeah I got that…impression,” I said as I handed her the serving tray. “Will she listen to reason?”

She wrung her hands. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen her this angry since before the two of you started dating.”

“Don’t worry buddy, I’m right here with you.” I looked over to Hiragi, who was giving me a ‘thumbs-up’ and what I assumed was a reassuring smile. “She’ll calm down if I’m here.”

“I hope you’re right,” Ryou fussed. “I would hate to see what-”

She was interrupted by the school door slamming open. In the doorway stood Kyou in her maid attire, and I could swear that I saw an aura of fire around her. “Tooooomoooooyaaaaa…” she growled.

“This is because I was talking to Tomoyo, right?” I asked as she stormed up to me. “I can explain in two sentences if you’ll give-”

“TOMOYO?! You’re on a first-name basis now?” She was on a roll.

“No, she-”

“When were you planning on telling me, Tomoya? Are you buddies, now?!”

I glanced over at Hiragi; his face had paled, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to count on him. “Kyou, it’s just that-”

She whipped up a hand, interrupting me yet again. “I don’t want to hear it! You know how I feel about her, and to see you talking with her?! SERIOUSLY?!”

I had had enough. “Fine,” I said coolly before turning to Ryou and Hiragi. “Sorry guys, but I’m not feeling very welcome here. I’m going home,” I said as I turned to leave.

“You’re not going anywhere until I’m finished!” Kyou raged as she grabbed my arm.

Somewhere in my subconscious I heard Ryou gasp as I grabbed her sister’s wrist. I must have been gripping it pretty hard, because when I look back to Kyou’s face, she was grimacing in pain. I loosened my grip. “I. Am. Leaving. Do not touch me again.” I threw her hand down and, after apologizing to Ryou and Hiragi, left the festival as quickly as I could.

***

I kicked the bed as hard as I could. “GODDAMMIT! I could have fixed this in ten seconds if she let me! But no, she’s got to lay into me like I’m the enemy or something! YOU COULD HAVE LET ME FINISH!!” I yelled at the door.

I plopped down onto my bed and rolled onto my back. “Jeez, Kyou…just because you have a problem with her doesn’t mean I have to.” I’d help her with her problem with Tomoyo if she’d let me, but she’d never tell me what her problem was. And now…

_Ding-dong…_

Lovely. I didn’t want any visitors just then. “Well, the sooner I answer, the sooner I can tell them to go away.” Maybe it was Kyou, coming to apologize? “Yeah, right.”

I slid into my slippers and headed downstairs as the doorbell rang for the fourth time. “I’m coming, I’m coming…”

Ryou and Hiragi greeted me with solemn faces. “Okazaki-kun…”

“Oh, hey guys.”

Ryou looked down to the floor, and I could tell that she was trying to find the right words. “Okazaki-kun; I’m very sorry for the way Onee-chan treated you. You did nothing wrong, and yet…”

“Yeah, um, me too,” added Hiragi. “I should’ve backed you up but…” He scratched at his head. “It all happened so quickly.”

I slumped against one side of the doorway. “I just wish…she’d let me explain.” I rubbed at my head. “I still shouldn’t have grabbed her hand like that. Damn.”

“Well, we don’t want to take up too much of your time,” Hiragi said. “We mainly wanted to check up on you. You know, make sure you’re okay.”

Something about that struck me as funny and I chuckled. “I’m probably not okay, and I probably won’t be okay for a while, but thanks for your concern.”

After seeing them off I headed back to my room, glancing at the clock on the way to my desk. 6:30 PM. Dad was at work so I didn’t have to worry about him ‘Tomoya-kun’-ing me, but…there was nothing to do at home. So I headed downstairs again. Maybe I could visit the Furukawas. Their antics could be useful as a distraction. Sanae might invite me to dinner, too…

I smiled as I grabbed my coat. Yeah, the Furukawas could help me clear my head…I opened the door.

I jumped back just in time to avoid colliding with Tomoyo, standing in the doorway with fist raised, apparently ready to knock. “Saka-Tomoyo! What are you doing here?!”

She lowered her hand and dipped her head…wait, did she just bow to me? “I saw what happened at the festival.” Her face was a mask of concern. “Are you okay?”

I sighed heavily. “I guess. Listen, I’m sorry for acting like that at a school function. Kyou just…”

Tomoyo stopped me with a hand on my shoulder; for a tomboy, she had a gentle touch. “I talked to Ryou and her boyfriend after Kyou went back to her classroom. I’m really sorry; I didn’t mean to get you in trouble.” She let her hand drop back to her side.

“No, you’re fine. She just…has a problem with you, and I don’t know why.”

Tomoyo looked genuinely surprised. “With me? I haven’t done anything to her.”

“Yeah, and she won’t tell me why.”

Tomoyo’s face was thoughtful for a few moments before: “Well, I have to go. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I don’t know if I’m okay. I was just leaving to clear my head, actually.”

“I see.” She pushed a lock of silver hair behind her ear. “Well, I hope that helps.”

I noticed that she wasn’t moving. “Was there anything else you needed, Pres?” I asked with a smile.

She was acting kind of odd, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “I-I know I’m just a second-year and a new student, so I may not understand some things, but…” She looked up at me. “…If I can help in some way, let me know, okay?”

I was surprised and happy at her offer. “Sure. If I think of anything, I’ll let you know. Thanks.”

***

I watched her until she rounded the corner on her way home, then I turned to head for the bakery and, hopefully, some distracting time with Nagisa and her parents. Monday would tell me how Kyou and I were doing.


	7. Aftermath, Part One

**Chapter Seven: Aftermath, Part One**

The next day I was late for school. I guess I had become so dependent on Kyou as an alarm that I didn’t think to set one. Although to be honest, I really wasn’t looking forward to school that day.

Kyou never visited me after our…exchange, which surprised me; I figured she’d at least track me down to chew me out some more.

As I trudged to school I thought about how I should talk to Kyou if I saw her…or if she found me. I wasn’t sure who was really at fault. Part of me wanted to say that it was hers for overreacting and acting like I couldn’t be friends with someone she didn’t like. Another part of me thought it was my fault for talking with Tomoyo before getting an ‘okay’ from Kyou. The part of me that won, though, was the one that decided to give it time and see what I thought and how I felt. Even now, I could be rushing to judgment and possibly causing problems in the future.

As far as talking to Kyou…I’d let her decide what level of…interaction?...she’d be comfortable with.

***

I arrived to class in time for third period. Much to my annoyance, Sunohara was already there, asleep on his desk, with a thin line of drool trickling from his mouth. I was tempted to wake him, but I realized that he would probably start teasing me about being later than him, so instead I quietly settled into my seat, placed my case by my desk, and looked out the window.

When lunchtime arrived, Sunohara woke up, talked some crap to me anyway, and then left for the cafeteria.

As I gathered my things to eat off-campus, I noticed Ryou approaching my desk and quickly raised a hand. “I know I’m late, Fujibayashi, and it was unintentional. I should have thought to set an alarm, but didn’t. I’m sorry.”

My class rep seemed taken aback. “Th-That’s okay, Okazaki-kun; you had a rough day yesterday, so it’s not a problem.” She quickly slid into the seat ahead of me, turning to face me. “I’m actually here to ask you to give Onee-chan some space for now. She was surprised and hurt by what happened yesterday.”

“I can imagine,” I said, scratching at the back of my neck. “I’d really like the chance to explain, though; this is really frustrating. I mean, I don’t know what she believes about me right now!”

I was relieved to see a look of sympathy on my former girlfriend’s face. “I understand. If it helps, I did explain everything to her. Well, mainly about how the student body president approached you.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to avoid an oncoming headache. “Thanks. I really do appreciate that.”

“Okazaki-kun?” she asked, drawing my attention from my nose. “Onee-chan is Onee-chan, and she’s probably going to be angry for a while. Please try to be patient with her.”

“Look Fujibayashi; I get she is who she is, but…” I really didn’t want to say this next part. “If she’s going to fly off the handle like this…you know, getting mad but not giving me the chance to explain…I just don’t know what kind of relationship I can have with that kind of person.” I blinked as another thought crossed my mind. “Besides, I thought she was done with that kind of stuff, that she was doing it before to keep a distance between us so you and I could date.”

Ryou shrugged with a sad smile. “Maybe some habits are harder to break than others?”

“I guess…”

“Just be patient with her. Please?”

I blew a sigh noisily through my lips. “I’ll do my best…but if she goes back to throwing books at me, I make no promises.”

Ryou lowered her head. “I understand.”

I got up from my seat while gathering my bag. “Sorry Class Rep, but if I don’t get going I won’t have enough time for lunch.”

She quickly rose from her seat and gave me a short bow. “Have a good lunch, and thank you for listening to me.”

***

I headed down the hill to the nearest convenience store. Truth be told, I had enough money to buy something at the cafeteria, but I didn’t want to be around a lot of people just then. Plus, I wanted to give Kyou the space she needed.

Of course I loved her; that’s why I was so angry. I was feeling a distance between us and I didn’t like it. That’s why I wanted the chance to explain things to her: To get us back on good terms.

I stopped in front of the vending machines. I figured I’d get a sandwich and a coffee; with the way the morning had gone I really needed the caffeine.

“T-Tomoya?”

_You’ve got to be kidding me_ …I looked to my right to find Tomoyo sitting on a nearby bench. Around her was what had to be her lunch; a salad and a coffee identical to mine. “Tomoyo?! What are you doing here?!”

“I-I went off-campus to eat so I wouldn’t cause you any more problems.”

“Damn,” I muttered. “What are the odds?”  Addressing Tomoyo I told her, “I’m here to give Kyou some space. Just give me a minute and I’ll get out of here.”

“No, no,” she protested as she started to gather her meal. “I’ll go; you need the space more than I do.”

I opened my mouth to reply when my sixth sense kicked in. In the same instant, I saw Tomoyo’s eyes widen and, before I could react, she lunged for me.

The next part happened so quickly: All I remember is that I heard her shout my name and, the next thing I knew, I was flat on my back with Tomoyo laying on top of me and holding a copy of a Japanese-English dictionary.

_Oh, shit…_


	8. Aftermath, Part Two

**Chapter Eight: Aftermath, Part 2**

“TOMOYA!!” This was not the voice that I heard so many times over the last few months, a voice filled with warmth and happiness. No, this was definitely a pissed-off voice, one that would likely not give room for explanation, let alone argument.

“Kyou?!” I watched as Tomoyo carefully got off of me before getting to my own feet. “What are you doing all the way out here?”

I didn’t realize how my question could be misinterpreted until my girlfriend’s face glowed even redder. “Apparently I’m catching my boyfriend being unfaithful!”

I tried to protest. “Kyou, it’s not-”

She threw up a hand. “Save it, Casanova. First Ryou, then me, and now Miss Student Body President?”

Tomoyo put herself between me and my raging girlfriend. “It’s not what you seem to think, Kyou. Tomoya’s-”

“And again with the first names!” Kyou seethed.  “When did you two get so lovey-dovey?!”

“We’re not lovey-dovey!” Tomoyo shouted, surprising me. She was usually so level-headed. “But maybe we should be so he knows what it’s like to feel loved!”

Kyou’s hands found the sides of her head. “He knows what it feels like to be loved! Right, Tomoya? Right?!”

“Kyou…” I really didn’t know what to say, so I let my heart speak. “…I don’t deserve to be treated like this. I tried to explain what happened yesterday, but you wouldn’t let me. I tried to explain myself just now, but you wouldn’t let me.” It finally hit me: “You don’t trust me, do you?”

Kyou’s hands moved from her head to her hips.  “Not when I find you under another woman!”

“ONEE-CHAN!!!”  The three of us jumped at the new voice, and turned almost as one to see Ryou standing there with tears in her eyes and hands over her mouth. “You can’t really believe that Okazaki-kun’s like that, can you?”

Kyou flashed a glare at me before addressing her sister. “I can when I catch him red-handed with her!”

Tomoyo flicked her wrist and Kyou had to react quickly to catch the dictionary that she returned. “Tomoya, I know how you feel about this woman, but I suggest you reconsider in light of the way she’s treated you.”

“Mind your own business, bitch,” Kyou scoffed.

“Onee-chan!”

Tomoyo crossed her arms. “When you assault a student with school property, it becomes my business. Besides, Tomoya’s a good man who does not deserve to be treated like this.”

“Aw geez! Tomoya, just think of it as the ‘good old days’, okay?”

Honestly though, I was out of gas for this conversation. “I…I don’t know what to think right now.” I roughly scratched at my head before flinging my hand back down to my side. “I’m sorry, ladies…I just need to…to think.”

“Will you be coming back to class?” Ryou asked.

“Probably not.” I must have sent a glare Kyou’s way without meaning to, because I saw her bristle at me. “I promise to be at school on time tomorrow, though.”

I started to walk away when Kyou demanded, “What about me?”

Before I could think, my body had spun 180 degrees and stuck a finger two inches from her nose. Her flinch was unmistakable. “You. I am trying to gave you space. Take it, before I run out of patience with you.” Then, before she could respond, I turned on my heel and left. I didn’t hear anyone say anything and no one tried to follow me this time.

***

Instead of heading home, I stormed to Furukawa Bakery.  I figure that, if nothing else, Sanae’s bread would distract me from my current annoyance. As what seemed to be the usual, the sales floor was empty. “Hello?

Sanae suddenly popped up behind the cash register with an ‘Eep!’ “Sorry, Okazaki-san!”

“No problem,” I replied, wondering what she was apologizing for. “Do you mind if I hang out here for a while?”

“Not at all, but Nagisa-chan and Akio-san aren’t here right now.”

“That’s fine; I just need someplace to decompress.”

Sanae seemed to perk up all of a sudden. “Are you stressed? I’ve just come up with a new recipe; I call it ‘Happiness Bread’.

“Ah, no thanks!” Truth be told, I was still having digestive problems from the last taste-test a week ago. “But it’s a nice smell here.”

“Thank you very much!” She beamed as she carried a tray of bread to a display case.

A few minutes later Nagisa and her dad arrived. Nagisa fussed over me for a while, which felt good, and I threw a baseball with her dad, which also felt good.

All in all I felt much better when I started for home a couple hours later.

***

“Pssst…”

It was dark by the time I got home, and I was fishing around in my pocket for my house key when I heard a hissing sound nearby. It seemed to be coming from a nearby tree. I was curious, since I had never heard of a tree springing a leak before. I circled the tree to find… “Tomoyo? What are you doi-”

She quickly put her hand over my mouth. “Shhhh!” After looking around she took her hand off of my mouth. “Go inside and open your bedroom window in two minutes.”

I figured that arguing would get me nowhere so I simply nodded. She smiled as she backed away. “See you.”

I sighed as I ascended the stairs to my room. What could Tomoyo want at this hour?

_“We’re not lovey-dovey!...But maybe we should be so he knows what it’s like to feel loved!”_

My blood froze within me. Was she coming to confess to me? I shook my head in disbelief. I figured that that couldn’t be it. With what had happened earlier, she was probably coming to check up on me again. But why meet me in my room?

I made my way into my room and over to the window above my bed. Surprisingly, the student body president was perched just outside my windowsill. She smiled as I opened the window and extended my hand. “Watch your step; my bed’s right here.”

“Oh? Prepared, aren’t you Tomoya?” she asked with an unusually playful smile.

“Prepared for what?”

Her smile fell. “Never mind; I was trying to tease you.”

“Ah. Well, what can I do for you?”

Whatever it was she wanted to discuss, she was obviously uncomfortable about it. “Listen, Tomoya: I don’t like the way your girlfriend is treating you.”

“Yeah, I get that. Thanks.” Remembering earlier, I added: “By the way; nice catch.”

“Thanks. That‘s actually what I’m here to talk to you about.” She gave an uneasy smile, and I added that to my collection for future reference. “If she’s going to be throwing stuff at you, I think you should be able to defend yourself. I’m really trying to get away from fighting, but…I’m willing to teach you how to do what I did earlier, among other things.”

I was dumbstruck. “You’re willing to teach me how to fight?” I was a passable fighter in my own right, but I knew from watching her exchanges with Sunohara that I would stand as much a chance against her as a straw hut in a tsunami. Any help she could give… “I don’t like the idea of learning fighting to defend myself against my own girlfriend, but…”

“Tomoya, she’s not acting like your girlfriend right now, and you need to be able to protect yourself from her…outbursts.”

I still wasn’t too keen on the idea, but… “Yeah, you’re probably right. So…what do I need to do?”


	9. Book Smarts

**Chapter Nine: Book Smarts**

“Toh!”

Even though I could hear the yell, my sixth sense still kicked in, and my hand moved on its own to catch the book that had been thrown at me from my left.

“Nice one, Tomoya!” Tomoyo called as she ran up to me from the side. “A few more days and I think we can start on back attacks.”

For the last week or so Tomoyo and I had been meeting in secret so she could train me in…in…well, in book-catching. We would have started out with more traditional hand-to-hand combat training, but Kyou’s recent (and increasing) tendency to throw books at me made this change in plan necessary. So far I had mastered catching books thrown within my line-of-sight, but that would do me no good if Kyou felt particularly vindictive and threw one from behind. Today, Tomoyo had been working with my ‘sixth sense’ to help me learn how to intercept these attacks from the side. It was sad that I needed this training, but…

Deep down I knew that my girlfriend was hurting for some reason, but I still couldn’t allow myself to be her punching bag. Not without an explanation first, at least; I’d let her pummel me if I at least knew the reason why.

“Need a break?” my trainer asked me while handing me a bottle of water.

I thought for a moment. “A couple more, first.” I handed her both encyclopedias, the one I had just caught and the one at my feet.

“Okay.” She took them and went back to her spot just outside my sight. A moment later: “Ready?”

“Ready.” I closed my eyes.

As expected, my sixth sense flared. For some reason it told me the book was coming from behind. I quickly spun as I raised my hand…and caught it. I opened my eyes and smirked. “Starting early?”

Tomoyo stood there with eyes wide. “You…”

“What?” I asked as I looked down to my hands. “I caught…it…?”

It wasn’t until I looked that I realized that I held a book in each hand. When did…?

I felt her run up to me as I stared at the books in my hands. “Tomoya? Are you okay?”

I shook my head to clear it. “Yeah, I think so. Did I forget to give one to you?”

“No. I threw both of them, the last one as a joke. I didn’t expect you to catch it, especially from behind.”

I felt a little overwhelmed. “I…didn’t know I could do this.” I chuckled lamely. “This would have been useful when I was playing basketball.”

She chuckled as well. “I can imagine.” She was quiet long enough to get my attention, and I looked over at her to catch her staring at me with an odd…something…in her eyes. Then she blinked and seemed to snap out of it. “W-Well, this’ll make teaching you a lot easier. Heck, I could make you the sole member of the Disciplinary Committee.”

I snorted at the thought. “I’ll pass, thanks.”

We spent our break making small talk as well as planning the rest of my training. The idea of book-throwing was even considered. The limits of my right shoulder would have to be considered, of course, but in the end she figured that with the right training I could still be a human wrecking ball if the situation demanded it.

***

I was out in the courtyard lawn eating my sandwich when Botan waddled up. “Hey, Botan; long time, no see! How’ve you been?”

“Puhi! Puuuhiiiiiiiiiiiii!” the little boar oinked happily. He looked like he had gotten bigger since I last saw him.

“Sounds like things are going all right for you. How about Kyou?”

I’d always been impressed at how the little guy seemed to understand people, and he didn’t disappoint me this time either; his ears drooped, his head drooped, and it seemed like all the life was being drained out of him. “puuuuuu…..”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” I replied as I rubbed his head. “She’s upset about something, but I can’t help her until she tells me what’s going on.” I only had a couple of bites left of my sandwich, so I gave it to him. “Here you go.”

He snuffled his way into my sandwich and demolished it in no time. He then climbed into my lap and settled down for a nap. I stroked his back, enjoying the feel of his fur. “Just for a bit. Lunch will be over soon and I-”

The next thing I knew I had folded myself over Botan and had a book in my hand. I allowed my anger to show as I got up from the grass with Botan on one arm and the book in the other.

It didn’t take long to find Kyou. She was standing out in the open courtyard a good distance away, with her eyes and mouth wide open. She dumbly took the book and Botan as I handed them to her. “H-How…?”

I leaned toward her to make sure she could clearly see my angry expression. “Don’t throw books at me again. Understood?”

“And wh-what if I do?” she retorted. Impressive that she could recover so quickly.

“I’ll start throwing them back.”  I allowed my glare to intensify; she needed to see how she affected others. “As far as I’m concerned you’re still my girlfriend and I’m still your boyfriend, but that can change unless you grow the hell up.” I let that sink in before continuing. “I want to help if I can, but you have to talk to me.”

As I walked back to class I allowed the anger and tension to flow out of me, just as Tomoyo had taught me. I could hear the murmurs of other students around us, and I knew they had to be talking about Kyou and I, but I was past the point of caring. Something had to change.


	10. Teacher-Student Relations

**Chapter Ten: Teacher-Student Relations**

When I showed up for lessons the next day, Tomoyo had different plans: “How about we just relax for today?”

“Relax? You mean take the day off?” Then it hit me: “Wait, us?”

She nodded with an excited expression on her face. “Sure! We’ve been working hard, right? You’ve been under a lot of stress lately, right? So let’s go do something fun!”

“I don’t know…”

She smiled sympathetically. “You’re worried about Kyou, aren’t you? Look; we’re friends whether she likes it or not…”

“True.”

“…and you can’t spend the rest of your life being controlled by her like this…”

“…right…”

“…and she has a meeting with the other class reps that’ll last at least a couple of hours.”

I blinked; something was missing, here… “What about you? Aren’t you required to go?”

Her silver hair swayed as she shook her head. “Because of my other duties I don’t have to attend class rep meetings.” She waved a dismissive hand. “Besides, with the way things are going I’d just end up arguing with your girlfriend anyway.”

I didn’t like that it seemed like I was sneaking around behind Kyou’s back, but I couldn’t counter any of Tomoyo’s points. Besides, I really could use some relaxing time. “Fine. What do you have in mind?”

* * *

As we entered the arcade Tomoyo grabbed onto my arm. “Just so we don’t get separated,” she explained.

“Uh, yeah.” The student body president’s behavior was a little…odd…today. “You like video games?”

“Not as much as…well, they’re okay,” she finished. “I just figured that this is something that you’d enjoy.”

“You’re not wrong about that.” I smiled as I looked as row upon row of machines. I had just received my allowance, so I could splurge a little. “Is there anything you’d like to try?”

Not surprisingly, Tomoyo was very good at the fighting games. I was surprised to see her picking male characters to play as, so I asked her about it. “I think girls should act more like ladies and less like men,” she explained. “We have our own unique traits that make us special, just like men do.”

“Okay. But what does that have to do with fighting?”

She pushed a silver lock over her ear. “I don’t think women and men should be fighting each other like that. I know I’m kind of an exception, but most women are not as fast or as strong as men. So, I think we girls should be in more of a, uh…” I watched as she tried to find the right words. “…backup?...helper…?”

“Support?” I offered.

“That’s it!” she exclaimed as she tapped on my chest. “A support. Think about it: You have the soldiers up front shooting at the enemy, but where do they get the bullets? Supply, right? So supply makes it so the soldiers can fight. Like that, we women are supposed to give you guys the support so you can go out and take on the world!”

Something about what she was saying didn’t sound right. “But that’s kinda old-fashioned, don’t you think? I mean, aren’t a lot of people saying that women can do anything that men can?”

“To a point, yes, but how many women have you heard of able to lift 700 pounds or more?”

“Point taken. So you’re saying that women can do certain things even though they’re not really made for it?”

“Exactly. You guys can stay home and take care of kids but, in general, we girls are better at it.”

I couldn’t argue that point and, to be honest, I was done with the topic. “What do you want to try next? Another fighting game? Honestly, I’m tired of losing.”

She giggled…wait, _giggled?_...behind her hand. “Well, how about racing? Do you like racing?”

* * *

“Aaaugh!! I lost again!”

“I warned you…”

“Yeah, yeah Tomoya, you warned me…”

I was actually pretty good at racing games, and I did warn her about it, but she still wanted to challenge me. “Next time I tell you that I’m good at something, don’t doubt me, okay?” I smirked.

She gave me a mischievous grin as she poked me on the cheek, and I imagined that she was trying to knock my smirk off. “You wipe off that smirk or we’ll go back to the fighting games.”

“Yes, ma’am.” I tried to stop smiling, but the best I could do was turn my mouth into a crooked line. “Will this do for now?”

“That’s fine, but you could just smile normally; you’re very handsome when you smi-” her face paled as she froze. This was definitely not like her.

“Tomoyo? You okay?” I waved a hand in front of her face, which seemed to snap her out of it. “You okay?” I repeated when I had her attention.

“I-I’m fine!” she stuttered. “Let’s…Let’s check out the gaming bowls!”

“You mean the bowling games, don’t you?”

“Yeah! Bowling games! That’s what I said!!” And she ran off, leaving me behind. This was definitely not like her.

When I finally caught up with her, she was staring at the bowling games with her hands fisted at her sides. As I got closer I thought I heard her quietly saying ‘idiot’ over and over again. I laid a hand of her shoulder. “Tomoyo-”

The next thing I knew my arm was pushed up behind me, with my fingertips nearly touching the back of my neck. “Wait! It’s me, IT’S ME!!”

“Oh, no!” I heard her cry. “I’m so sorry!” She carefully lowered my arm. “Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry!” This was definitely not like her.

She started fussing over my shoulder and elbow until I could finally get my hands on her shoulders to look her in the face. “I’m fine. You startled me more than anything.” I rotated the affected arm a couple of times. “See?”

She didn’t appear convinced but let it go. “You shouldn’t be treated like that…you’re a good man…”

“Tomoyo?”

She looked up at me, and her eyes had that odd look again. “Want to go get something to eat?”


	11. Breakdown

**Chapter Eleven: Breakdown**

As I headed home from my time with Tomoyo I thought back on the day, and I realized that it was the first time since Kyou’s meltdown that I had been able to relax and enjoy myself. I smiled to myself as I remembered Tomoyo’s reactions to getting stomped at racing, and my losses to her at the fighting games became…well, not such a big deal.

I had never really given the student body president a lot of thought. I didn’t think badly of her or anything, just that she had her things that she was doing, and I was happily dating Kyou.

…I was happily dating Kyou…

With my new energy from having fun I started to think about my situation with my girlfriend. I tried to think about what I could have done to prevent this situation.

As I pursued that train of thought I started to feel an ominous presence near me. When I looked around I found Ryou walking next to me. She wasn’t an ominous person, so I looked to my other side to find Kyou glaring at me.

“Hello, Kyou. Hello, Fujibayashi.”

“Hello, Okazaki-kun.”

Kyou, however, skipped the greetings. “Did you have a good time with Miss Stupid Bitchy President today, Tomoya?”

I wasn’t going to play her games any more: “Yes, I did.”

Her glare intensified, if that were possible. “And what did you do?”

I thought for a moment. It was a reasonable question, considering that I was still, technically, her boyfriend. “We went to the arcade and then to Sandwich Queen.”

“That’s exactly what we were told, Onee-chan.” Ryou said. I had forgotten that she was there. “See? He’s telling you the truth.”

“Really?” Kyou growled. “And which love hotel did you go to afterward?”

“Onee-chan!”

“We didn’t go to any love hotel,” I answered as calmly as I could; her attitude was really starting to get to me. “Why are you asking me this?”

Kyou said nothing but came to a stop, bringing Fujibayashi and me to a stop as well. Finally she spoke: “Tomoya, I want to you stop having anything to do with Tomoyo from now on.”

“No.”

“What?!”

“Onee-chan!”

I wasn’t having any more of Kyou’s nonsense. “Tomoyo is a good friend of mine, and I will not end our friendship just because you tell me to. You tell me what your problem is with her, and I’ll definitely consider it. But I’m sure as hell not going to do it after you’ve called me names and thrown books at me!” I still had control of myself, but that control was weakening.

“I’ll stop throwing books and calling names after your friendship is over!”

“Not happening, not without a good reason.” I pointed at her. “You have a problem with Tomoyo, and I’ll respect that…until you start treating me badly without telling me why!!” I decided to give her one more chance. “What is your problem with her, Kyou? I really do want to help despite the way you’ve been acting.” I let that sink in before adding: “Please…talk to me.”

Kyou simply crossed her arms and looked away, the poster girl for defiance. I looked over to Fujibayashi, who was simply shaking her head with tears in her eyes.

Finally, Kyou spoke: “I don’t have to explain anything to you. I’m your girlfriend, and you’re supposed to be my boyfriend. So when I tell you to end a friendship with a girl, you do it. Simple as that. Otherwise…”

I didn’t know what she was getting at, but I had a good idea. I had also had enough. “All right Kyou, if that’s the way it is…”

She looked back at me with a triumphant smile.

“…then we’re done. I’m sorry.”

I heard Ryou gasp as Kyou’s arms fell to her sides, her face a mask of disbelief. “What?”

“We’re done,” I repeated. “I’m sorry, Kyou.”

“Okazaki-kun…?”

I turned to the younger twin. “I’m sorry Fujibayashi, but I can’t handle this anymore.” She nodded, still teary-eyed.

Kyou’s voice was low and dangerous. “Are you choosing her over me?!”

I was ready for that question, though. “I’m not choosing anyone over you; I just can’t live with your jealousy – or whatever it is – anymore.”

“Not choosing…anyone…?” My now-ex-girlfriend’s mask of anger started to crumble. “Wait, Tomoya-”

I finally lost it. “I have been waiting! I’ve been waiting for two weeks while you’ve yelled at me, called me names, and thrown things at me!! I’ve been waiting for you to tell me what’s really wrong so I can help fix it!! But all I hear is ‘I hurt, so you need to give up a friend’! No! I can’t agree to that!” I forced myself to calm down. “I can’t agree to that. I’m sorry Kyou, but I can’t date you any more if you’re going to be like this.”

She almost looked like she was going to apologize, but managed her angry face again. “Fine! Who needs you, anyway. Idiot! I can find better any time, anyway! You can just go die!” With that she turned and ran, but I was sure I could hear choked sobs as she got farther away.

I turned to find Fujibayashi still with me, much to my surprise. “I’m sorry, Fujibayashi. I just didn’t know any other way.”

She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. “I understand.” She forced herself to stop crying and looked me in the eye; I was impressed with her strength. “I just ask that you give her another chance. I know that Onee-chan’s been rotten to you. Please try to forgive her.” She smiled sadly. “I would still like to have you as a brother-in-law in the future.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle, even though I could feel tears forming. “Thank you. It’s good to know that one of you still likes me.”

Ryou rested a hand on my arm. “She loves you, Okazaki-kun. Please believe that. I promised Onee-chan that I wouldn’t tell you why she’s hurting, but I can tell you that it’s mainly because she loves you so much, and she’s afraid-” She gasped and quickly covered her mouth.

“Wait, ‘afraid’? What’s she afraid of?” Ryou kept her mouth shut. “You know something, help me! Help my help your sister!!”

“I’m sorry Okazaki-kun, I can’t…” she broke away from me and ran after her sister.

I stood there, dumbfounded. Kyou…afraid? What could she possibly be afraid of? And what would Tomoyo have to do with it?


	12. Cat Fight

**Chapter Twelve: Cat Fight**

I woke up late the next morning, again. I didn’t mean to sleep in; I had forgotten to set my alarm again due to the events of…yesterday.

As I made my way to school, I worried about how I would talk to not just Kyou, but Tomoyo as well. Would Tomoyo shun me completely after my breakup, to not cause any more problems? I’d understand, but it’d still be sad to lose such a neat friend. She was like Kyou in that I could be completely honest without her getting all upset. Well, mostly like Kyou.

Would Kyou keep throwing books at me? Part of me hoped that she would; at least we’d have some kind of connection. I really didn’t want to break up with her, but I felt like I’d been backed into a corner. I really hoped that things would work out and that we’d be able to get back together…soon.

As I entered the school courtyard I noticed that I had come during lunch hour; there were students scattered here and there in ones, twos and threes, all eating lunches. There was even a huge group near the middle of the courtyard…shouting…?

That was unusual.

I wandered over to the group and asked a female student what was going on.

“It’s about time you showed up,” she sniffed before grabbing my arm and pulling me into the mass of bodies. “You need to fix this!” she shouted over her shoulder; I could still barely hear her.

Finally we reached the middle of the mess, and I felt myself shoved into the center. There stood Kyou and Tomoyo, glaring at each other, both with fists at their sides. Sunohara stood to the side, an ineffective referee, apparently.

They noticed me at the same time, but Tomoyo was the one to speak first: “Tomoya: Is it true that you broke up with her yesterday?”

I sighed deeply; so, it was already time for the final showdown, was it? “Yes Tomoyo, I did.”

The crowd of students ‘booed’, and I suddenly felt like one of those American pro wrestlers. The ‘heel’, I think they were called.

“Why did you break up with her? Remember, you can shoot me straight.”

I knew what she meant; she was part of the problem, even if we didn’t know why, and she was letting me know that she was okay with me saying so. “Because she wanted me to-”

“You don’t have to answer her!” Kyou interjected. “I know what she’s been doing; she’s been trying to take you from me.” She turned back to Tomoyo. “You failed though, didn’t you? Now neither of us has him!”

I suddenly felt like an auction house piece. “Kyou, I-”

“Shut it, Tomoya! You had your chance! This is between Miss Stupid Bitchy President and me!”

The crowd gasped as Tomoyo took a step toward Kyou and I could see the anger in her eyes. “How dare you speak to him that way! But that’s just like you, isn’t it? You don’t give him the chance to explain; you just make assumptions and then punish him based on those assumptions!”

“He’s my boyfriend! He should’ve-”

“Was your boyfriend! But it wasn’t enough that you were his girlfriend, right? You had to make sure that he couldn’t talk to any other girls, right?”

Kyou’s expression shifted from rage to amusement. “Oh, I get it now; you’re jealous, aren’t you? You wanted him for yourself, didn’t you?”

“YES!!”

Everyone’s jaws dropped at Tomoyo’s words, including mine. She wanted me? As her boyfriend??

Kyou’s train of thought derailed. “Wha…?”

“Yes, I’m jealous of you! I’ve said it many times; Tomoya’s a great guy. Doesn’t every girl want a great guy to take care of her, protect her?”

I jumped as the girls in the crowd started shouting agreement.

For her part, Kyou tried to regain some of her anger, but I could tell that she was failing. “Yeah, well…I got to him first-”

“Actually, Onee-chan…” Ryou had somehow made her way to the center. Or maybe I just missed her in the rush. “…I got him first.”

“Whatever!” Kyou snapped, apparently not realizing that she had just snapped at her own sister. “But he’s my boyfriend, see?”

Tomoyo rolled her eyes; I was getting sick of Kyou’s childish antics as well. “Tomoya, refresh our memory: did you break up with Kyou yesterday?”

“Last night, yes.”

Tomoyo turned back to Kyou. “So he’s nobody’s boyfriend right now.”

“And may I remind you, ladies,” Sunohara said to the whole crowd, “that Okazaki-san has been certified, one-hundred-percent “Great” by our own Student Body President!”

My free hand found my forehead as many of the girls surrounding us squealed and said stuff like ‘that’s right!’ and other things that I shouldn’t repeat here. I think I felt a couple of tugs on my blazer.

“In fact, if you would line up here, you could be the lucky girl who gets to-AWK!!!” Sunohara suddenly doubled over from Kyou’s punch to his stomach. Tomoyo’s follow-up kick sent him flying, making a neat little twinkle in the sky.

After sending him off, they whirled on each other again, much closer to each other than when this first started. “Stay away from him!” Kyou warned.

“Why do you care? Do you miss your punching bag that much?” countered Tomoyo.

“Not when I have the perfect one right here!!” Kyou yelled as she sent her fist toward Tomoyo’s face. Unfortunately, Kyou was the straw hut to Tomoyo’s tsunami, and she quickly found herself face-down on the ground with her arm twisted up behind her back. I felt a little sorry for her.

“You know,” Tomoyo said as Kyou struggled, “you’re a really lucky girl to have dated someone like him.”

I was starting to get more than a little embarrassed. What the hell was so great about me, anyway?

“…he’ll help you with your problems without asking for anything in return, he’s honest even if it hurts…”

Oh. I see.

I started to shrink under the approving gazes of the girls around me. This was really awkward.

I heard Kyou start to cry so I began moving toward her, but something about Tomoyo’s gaze stopped me. I realized that Tomoyo wasn’t trying to injure her, so the tears must have been for some other reason.

I heard a collective gasp from the crowd when Kyou blurted out, “I know! I know! He’s wonderful! I don’t deserve him!!”

Wait; Did I hear her correctly? Did she just say she doesn’t deserve me?! “Kyou…?”

“Tomoya, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m scared! PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME!!”

Tomoyo looked up at me with misty eyes and an expression that matched my own; apparently she was just as surprised by Kyou’s admission as I was. I quickly nodded and she let go of Kyou’s arm and the two of us helped her to her feet as the crowd started to disperse, apparently believing that the show was over.

She yanked her arm away from me, then seemed to realize what she had done because her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh, no! I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking!” She started to back away, repeating, ‘I’m sorry’ over and over before turning and running toward the school, leaving Tomoyo and I to look at each other in confusion.

***

It wouldn’t be until later that day, when Ryou approached me with wringing hands and tears in her eyes, that things would start to clear up.

“Onee-chan has asked me to ask if you would be willing to meet with her after school tomorrow. She would like to explain her behavior.”

“Tomoyo deserves an explanation more than I do,” I grunted.

“Oh, she’ll be there too,” Ryou quickly amended. “And so will I; I think I’m her morale support.”

“Okay,” I said. “Just tell me when.”


	13. Explanation

**Chapter Thirteen: Explanation**

As the last bell rang for the day I grabbed my bag and headed for the door.

Ryou stopped me before I could leave. “Okazaki-kun? Could you wait a bit before meeting with Onee-chan? She’ll need some time to prepare.”

That sounded reasonable. “Sure. Actually, I just realized that she didn’t tell me where to meet her.”

“Oh! Of course!” She giggled. “Do you know where the picnic tables are out back, a short ways off of the path?”

“Yeah, I know the place.”

“She’ll be at the one farthest from the path.”

Made sense. I’d want as much privacy as possible for something like this. “Got it. I’ll head out in…what, five minutes then? If she’s still not ready when I get there, just wave me away or something. Do you need me to get Tomoyo?”

She shook her head, her purple hair bobbing. “No, I‘ll let her know.”

I waved as the class rep headed out the door. I was looking forward to finally getting some answers.

***

I stopped at the edge of the grass and looked over at the table where the twins were sitting. Ryou noticed me and waved me over.

As I headed across, I caught a glimpse of silver out of the corner of my eye and looked over to see Tomoyo walking beside me. “You ready for this?” she asked.

“Yes and no.”

She smiled sadly. “Same here. I just hope we don’t end up with a repeat of…well, the last few weeks.”

I returned my gaze to the twins. “I don’t think that’ll happen this time. I think she’s ready to talk.”

“Finally,” she muttered.

I said nothing, but I silently agreed with her as we arrived at the table. The twins sat on one side of the table, with Ryou to the right of her sister.

“Please, sit down.” Apparently Ryou was going to be the hostess for this event. I went with my intuition and indicated that Tomoyo should sit across from her while I sat across from Kyou. I took the opportunity to study my ex-girlfriend’s face.

Frankly, she looked terrible. She looked like she had just gotten out of bed; her hair was disheveled, her eyes were puffy and had dark circles under them, and her uniform was wrinkled. She was holding her younger twin’s hand so hard that her knuckles were white. All in all, she didn’t look much like a class rep. In fact she didn’t look much like Kyou, other than the long purple hair. I looked over to Tomoyo, who looked back at me with a worried look before we returned our attention to Kyou.

It registered that Ryou was talking to me- well, us – again: “Please be patient; this is very hard for Onee-chan.”

I nodded sympathetically. “Take your time Kyou,” I tried to assure her. “We’ll wait until you’re ready.”

She briefly glanced up at me from under her eyelashes, and I was stunned to find fear in her eyes. What was it that had frightened such a strong girl?

I continued to watch her as she stared at the table, occasionally fidgeting or sniffling and wiping her nose with her free hand. She really was a wreck, wasn’t she?

Several more minutes passed before I noticed Ryou squeeze her sister’s hand. “Onee-chan?”

Kyou sighed heavily and seemed to force herself to look up at us. Her eyes confirmed that she had not slept well, likely due to crying.

I was surprised when she turned to Tomoyo first. Her voice was so weak. “Tomo-no, Sakagami-san…” I saw Tomoyo’s eyebrows rise at the choice of name. “…I’m sorry; it’s not your fault. You got caught in the middle of this, and…I’m sorry for blaming you for anything. It could have been…N-Nagisa, and I would have ended up…treating her badly.”

My stomach twisted at the thought of Kyou doing to Nagisa what she had done to Tomoyo; it would have destroyed the girl. In a way, I was glad that Tomoyo ended up the target; at least she was strong enough to fight back.

“The truth is, I was afraid that you would take him away from me.”

Tomoyo shook her head in disbelief. “But why?” she asked softly. “You already had him. How was I a threat?”

Kyou’s mouth opened and shut several times before she looked over at her twin, and I guessed that she wasn’t ready for questions.

“I’m sorry but could you wait until Onee-chan’s finished? This is very hard for her.”

“Sorry,” Tomoyo answered before making the ‘zip-the-lip’ motion.

Kyou turned slightly toward me now. “I w-was afraid that I wasn’t g-good enough f-for you.”

I opened my mouth, then quickly snapped it shut when I remembered Ryou’s earlier words.

“T-T-T-Tomoya?” she trembled. “I th-think I took you for granted. I think that I thought I could d-do whatever I w-wanted and y-you would p-put up with it. And I was af-fraid that I w-wasn’t good enough and…and…”

Aw damn, she was starting to lose it. What little she had, at least. It broke my heart to see her so…well, broken like this. Maybe dumping her had been the wrong thing to do?

“I-I-I don’t like being away from you like this, Tomoya!” She fought through her tears to speak, and Ryou wrapped an arm around her. It was interesting seeing the timid Ryou having to be strong for the typically braver older twin.

Kyou tilted her head back with her eyes closed and took a deep breath; her hands shook with the effort of keeping control of herself.

She opened her eyes and looked over at her ‘rival’. “I’m sorry for the way that I’ve treated you, and hope that you can forgive me.”

“No problem,” Tomoyo whispered, clearly awed by Kyou‘s apology.

Kyou then leveled amethyst eyes at me, and I saw a determination there that had been missing up to this point. “Tomoya, if you’re done with me, I will understand; I’ve been terrible to you.” She let go of Ryou’s hand and reached with both of hers toward mine, which I gave her. “But I’m asking you to remember the fun times we’ve had, and please, please consider giving me another chance. I’m really sorry.”

I looked from Kyou to Ryou to Tomoyo and back to Kyou. “Is it okay for me to talk now?”

Kyou giggled despite her tears and fatigue. “Go ahead; I’m done, I think.”

I gave her hands a gentle squeeze. “I really miss this,” I said as I enjoyed the soft smile on her face. “I have to admit, Kyou: You’ve blown me away with this. I can’t imagine you doing this before, and that tells me you’ve changed somehow.” I swallowed a lump in my throat. “I’d really like us to get back together, but I’d like some time to think about it. Is that okay?”

The hands holding mine started to tremble even as they gripped mine even tighter, and I noticed that her breathing had started to speed up. “Sure,” she squeaked. “Take all the time you need.” She was really reining it in, wasn’t she?

Tomoyo rocked back and forth in her seat a couple of times before starting to get up. “Well, if I’m not needed for anything more…?”

“Wait!” Kyou got to her feet at the same time.

Tomoyo blinked. “Was there something else? I mean, I don’t want to leave until you’re done.”

Kyou slowly circled the table under Tomoyo’s watchful gaze. When she finally reached Tomoyo, Kyou threw her arms around her. “Thank you.”

Tomoyo was surprised by the display of affection, as were the rest of us. She stood there somewhat stupidly for several seconds until it registered what had happened. Then, she carefully wrapped her arms around the older girl. “No problem.”

Not much happened after that; the twins left a few minutes later, with Ryou repeatedly thanking us for being there. Tomoyo and I checked in with each other, each making sure the other was okay. After that I left for Furukawa Bakery to hang out, and Tomoyo presumably went home.

I had some pretty heavy thinking to do.


	14. Closure

**Chapter Fourteen: Closure**

It had been several days since our talk at the picnic table, and I was ready to give her my answer.

It wasn’t as though I hadn’t seen Kyou at all during that time, but what I had seen was upsetting. Kyou spent most of her time holding on to her sister, who would lead her from one class to the next. Ryou would also do most of the talking when it came to the two of them. It was as though the twins had switched personalities.

I couldn’t believe that our breakup could have that kind of effect on such a strong girl. Sunohara was glad for the break from the threats and violence, but even he didn’t like the change. “I wish she’d throw something at me!” he’d complain. He’d do stupid stuff around her to try to get some kind of reaction out of her, but she’d just stare blankly at him. I supposed that could have been considered worse, in a sense.

As I headed up the hill to the gate I noticed that several of the other students would stare at me until I looked their way, then they would quickly look away. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that word had gotten around school. I may not have been Mr. Popularity, but Kyou was well-known and loved by a lot of the students. In hindsight, I was surprised that I didn’t get death threats for dumping her.

Somewhere along the way Nagisa had tagged onto me without me noticing. “Good morning, Okazaki-san.”

“Oh. Morning.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Sort of.”

She looked at the ground ahead of us as we walked, and the way she bit her lip told me what her next question would be. “Have you decided whether you’ll be getting back with Kyou-san or not?”

I sighed but otherwise said nothing. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Nagisa watch me for a bit more before returning her gaze to the ground.

***

“Okazaki-kun…?”

“Yes, Fujibayashi. Today.”

Ryou had been checking in with me almost every day since the talk at the picnic table to see when I would be ready to give Kyou my answer. The whole situation felt strange, really; usually it was the guy who got dumped and had to prove himself to the girl over and over again before she’d consider taking him back. This had me wondering who was the guy and who was the girl in our relationship.

“How do you want to do this? Where do you want to meet?” Ryou asked.

I had already given this a lot of thought. “Lunch. Same place where we talked. I would prefer it if was just her and I, but I’ll understand if she wants you there just in case.”

She nodded, with a small smile. “I understand. I’ll let her know, and she’ll be there if I have to drag her out there myself.”

I chuckled in spite of myself. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Right.”

***

The picnic area was empty as I had hoped. Most students preferred the front courtyard because of the short walls and, well, just being out front. Closer to the school’s exit.

I was surprised to find Kyou sitting by herself at the table; I was sure that Ryou would be with her. Her head was down, resting on her folded arms. “Kyou?”

Her head snapped up at my voice, and she slowly – cautiously? – got up from the table to stand before me. Her expression was one of uncertainty, and the way she clasped her hands in front of her with her feet turned inward told the same story. “Tomoya…” I could hear her voice tremble. What the hell had I done to her?

I took a deep breath. I had planned all of these things that I wanted to say to her; how I felt bad for hurting her, how I wished that things had gone differently…but one look at her…

I quickly crossed the distance and took her in my arms. “I missed you…”

I felt her tense up, which was understandable. But only for a moment, and I felt her arms snake around me, her hands pressing against my back. “Tomoya…”

I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Will you date me again, Kyou?”

She hiccupped.

“Kyou…?”

I realized that it wasn’t a hiccup, as she broke into sobs. “Tomoya…Tomoya…”

I didn’t realize that I had been holding back some pretty heavy emotions myself until I heard her sobs and saw her tears. “What the…?” was all I could get out before my tears joined hers.

***

We were both pretty quiet after that; apparently crying together took a lot out of us. We just lay in the grass next to each other, holding hands and staring at the sky. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I left it to her to say something if she wanted.

The pressure on my hand changed, and I looked over to see her roll toward me and snuggle up beside me. A few seconds later her breathing evened out, and I figured that she had fallen asleep.

Maybe nothing more needed to be said.

***

A few days later, Tomoyo’s part would be resolved as well.

“Kyou, may I speak with you?” she asked as my girlfriend and I sat in the courtyard enjoying our lunch.

Kyou looked to me. I didn’t know what the Student Body President wanted, so I just shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

I noticed a bit of concern as Kyou got to her feet and followed Tomoyo a short distance away, where I could see them but not hear them. It was kind of funny seeing them mirroring each other’s posture, each of them with their hands clasped in front of them. I saw Tomoyo say something, then Kyou, then Tomoyo said something again. Kyou took a step back in surprise and Tomoyo nodded.

Then Kyou stepped forward and slapped her hard. Tomoyo’s head spun with the force of the slap and I could hear the ‘crack’ from where I sat.

I was on my feet before realizing that Tomoyo had to have let Kyou slap her. But why?

I watched in stunned silence as Tomoyo bowed before turning and running off.

Kyou was staring at her hand as I came up to her. “What was that all about?” I asked.

She continued to look at her hand. “She told me to.”

“She told you to slap her?”

Kyou nodded slowly.

“Why?”

She finally looked up at me, and I was stunned by the…maturity?...I saw in her eyes. “She told me to slap her for trying to take you away from me.”

Some pieces finally clicked into place. “I see that, now.” Realizing that I had said that out loud I felt the blood drain from my face. Not even back together for a week, and I was already going to be clobbered…

Except it didn’t happen. Instead, she gently cupped my face with the same hand that had slapped Tomoyo. “Thank you for staying faithful to me, even after breaking up with me.”

I did the only thing that would come to mind; I took the hand cupping my face and kissed the palm. “You’re welcome.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: A New Chapter**

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

I reached over to hit the ‘snooze’ button on my alarm clock when I remembered that I didn’t own one. So where was that noise coming from?

_BEEP…BEEP…BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP_

I rolled over in bed and tried to figure out where the alarm was coming from. I smiled as I realized that it was coming from outside.

I pulled open the curtains over my bed and looked towards the street. Sure enough, there was Kyou on her bike, looking toward my house and occasionally pushing on the console between the handlebars.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP

She studied my house before apparently noticing me in the window. I saw a huge smile spread across her face as she waved to me.

I quickly got out of bed and got dressed before heading downstairs, nearly tripping over my dad, and out the door.

“Hurry up, slowpoke! You’re gonna make us late!” she gently scolded as I ran up to her.

“Yeah, yeah,” I grunted. “But you chose to come all the way out here, so if you’re late to school it’s your fault.”

She giggled as she reached around behind herself and produced a helmet. “Hurry up!”

I obeyed before sliding behind her on the seat as she made space. I wrapped my arms around her and felt a sudden heat from her. “I’m ready.”

At least I thought I was. She took off so quickly that I almost fell off the seat. “Easy, Kyou!

She glanced over her shoulder at me for a moment and I could see a definite redness to her cheeks. “C’mon Tomoya; If you’d been ready when I got there-”

“All right, all right, I get it,” I said in defeat. “Sorry.”

“As long as you understand…”

“Better than last time.”

She flashed a smile over her shoulder this time. “Then it’s okay!”

After that, I relaxed and just enjoyed the rest of the ride to school.

***

After parking her bike and collecting my helmet, she latched onto my arm. “Hee hee…”

“Hey,” I protested, “this is nice, but we’re going to be late.”

She rose up onto her tip-toes mid-stride and gently kissed me on the cheek. “It’s okay; we’re on time most of the time, right?”

I smiled and let her do as she wanted. She was still a free spirit, even after all that had happened. “That’s true, but I’m still trying to fix my reputation.”

She winced like I’d pinched her. “Ouch, that’s right. All right Tomoya, we’ll hurry.”

I started to pick up my pace, and then noticed that I could feel her…softness…on my arm. “Well, maybe I could be a little late today…”

“I don’t think so,” she said with a giggle. “Don’t worry; I’ll make sure to hold your arm during lunch.”

It was good having an awesome girlfriend again.

***

“…so, about Saturday…?” Kyou’s voice nudged at my attention.

“Mmm? Sorry Kyou, I was lost in thought.”

Kyou giggled. “I was asking about Saturday. Are you free after school?”

“Sure. Was there anything in particular you wanted to do?”

She stopped me to look into my eyes. “Just to…spend as much time with you as I can.” She gave me a shy smile. “I feel like we’ve lost a lot of time.”

I had to smile at that. “Yeah, me too.” An annoying realization hit me: “Aw, crap; I won’t be able to afford to do much this time, since it’s an off-week.” I sighed. “And I haven’t given much thought to that part-time job.”

Her smile faded into a thoughtful expression. “Yeah, It’s been…busy lately.”

“Yeah.”

“Well, I believe in you, that you’ll do what‘s best for us. Just don’t push yourself too hard, okay? I don’t want the man I love to end up in the hospital from overwork.”

I could feel my chest tighten at her words; I was still amazed at how much she cared about me.

“I know it’s not right of me to decide stuff like this for you.” She put her arms around me and squeezed, and I could feel the affection coming from her. “If you need to talk about it, you know where to find me.”

I nodded thoughtfully. “Yeah, thanks.”

“Aaanyway,” she practically cooed, “how about the park? I’d like to practice kissing, if that’s okay?” She glanced at me several times from under her eyelashes.

I felt my face heat up. “How could I say ‘no’?”

It was good having an awesome girlfriend again.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: Loose Ends**

Like other times, we met at 10, with Kyou arriving a little late. I didn’t mind, of course; with all that we had just gone through, this was nitpicking by comparison.

Kyou’s lunch was even better than the last, and I found myself floating on clouds as I ate sandwich after sandwich…

“How is it? Do you like it?” Kyou asked with a look of anticipation after I had finished a sandwich.

“It’s good,” I replied. “I don’t know what it is, of course, but I know I like it.”

“They’re really easy to make-”

“For the cooking genius you are,” I interrupted.

Kyou froze, mouth still open, before blushing furiously; Very cute. “I…I-I-I’m…I’m not th-that good.”

“Yeah, you are,” I countered. “It’s like that one king…stuff he touched turned to gold? You touch food and it becomes…gourmet?…yeah, that’s the word.”

“T-T-Tomoya!” Her eyes lost focus. “Stop that! M-My cooking…?”

“Yeah. Your cooking.”

I watched with amusement as Kyou struggled to regain enough of her composure to reply. “W-Well…thank you,” she finally answered, watching her finger as it traced a circle on the blanket.

I finished my sandwich and gave her a smile when she looked up. “You and Miyazawa-san should open a restaurant or something; you’re both great cooks.”

She cocked her head at me. “Miyazawa-san?”

Crap; I hadn’t thought about how Kyou would react to me knowing another girl besides Tomoyo. “Sh-She works in the Reference Room. She kinda keeps to herself, except for helping gang members when they come to her after getting hurt.”

“She?”

Craptastic. “Yeah…’she’…”

Her face showed definite concern as she looked up at me. “T-Tomoya…how many girls are you friends with?”

“I don’t know…I’ve never really thought about it.” It was after that that I realized… “I guess I just get along with girls better than guys. The guys are all trying ‘be cool’ or impressive or something; bunch of posers. I get why they do that, but…I don’t know, it’s just not me, I guess.”

“I understand,” she replied as she looked down at the blanket again.

“Let me see…” Kyou’s question was fair, so I thought that I should answer it. “Well, besides you and your sister there’s Nagisa, Tomoyo, Kotomi…”

“Your childhood friend, right?” Her voice sounded apprehensive.

“Yeah. Man…It’s been, what, ten years?” I sighed. “Time sure flies… Anyway, Kotomi, Miyazawa-san…I feel like I’m forgetting someone-oh! Fuuko!”

“Fuuko?”

I knew that the other students had forgotten about her, but I had taken steps to remember because of that. “Fuuko. She used to hand out starfish carved out of wood.”

My girlfriend’s nose wrinkled, and I enjoyed the thoughtful expression. “That would explain the wooden shuriken I have at home.” She looked up at me. “I see it and my heart feels…heavy for some reason.”

I smiled. “She handed them out to invite people to her sister Kouko’s wedding.”

Her expression went back to one of worry. “Tomoya…what do you think of these other girls? Like…” She licked her lips. “What do you think of that girl who can cook?”

“Miyazawa-san?”

She nodded.

I thought for a moment before I realized that there was only one way to answer her question – no, all of her questions. So, I put all of my feelings for my girlfriend into my smile as I leaned toward her.

“T-Tomoya?”

I kept the smile on my face right up until I pressed my lips to hers. I heard her gasp through her nose, and I pulled her closer to wrap her in my arms, my lips still pressed to hers.

I kept my lips to hers until I started to feel her start to tremble. I released her lips and held her, letting her cry as long as she wanted.

***

It took several minutes for her to recover enough for us to continue our lunch.

“S-So, Tomoya…” Kyou started after finishing a bite of her sandwich, “…when are you going to meet my parents?”

Wow. Not even a week back together and she was already on the prowl. “Well, I’d like to see how we’re doing before I commit to anything like that.”

She nodded thoughtfully. “I guess that’s fair. Could we…plan a tentative date, then? You know, nothing solid; just something to shoot for?”

It was my turn to nod. “Sure, but…did you have a particular date in mind?”

She giggled as she rubbed her hands together. “How about Christmas? That’s far enough away, and the whole family’ll be there.”

My blood ran cold. “What do you mean, ‘the whole family’?”

Despite my concern, I enjoyed the laugh that she gave; it seemed carefree and just plain happy. “Oh, not as many as you think! Just Dad, Mom, Ryou, and me. And Botan, of course. “

“What about Hiragi-san?” I had found that I enjoyed talking to my potential brother-in-law.

“I dunno just yet. The two of them have talked about it, but I haven’t heard anything definite.” Her expression turned playful, but I could also see pleading behind it. “So please? Pretty please…?”

I sighed. How could I refuse a request from an awesome girlfriend? “Fine. I’ll meet your…parents.”

She smiled softly. “I know you don’t think much of yourself, but I do. Ryou and Hiragi do, too. I think my folks will like you.”

I wished I had her confidence.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: Boundaries**

I didn’t hear from Kyou on Sunday, so I assumed that she was busy with family-related stuff. With the way she had clung to me the week after getting back together I figured that she’d at least call me, but I wasn’t the type to really worry about it.

She surprised me on Monday, though; she picked me up for school, but was quiet all the way there. At school, she told me that she wouldn’t be available for lunch.

“I’ve…got some stuff to take care of,” she had said.

At least she had made a lunch for me, so I could have her around in some way. It wasn’t the same as having her there, but at least it was something.

***

The next day was when I found out what had her so busy. She came to me at the beginning of lunch and started tugging on my sleeve. “Come on, Tomoya.”

I started to follow her, but slowed our pace a bit. “What’s the hurry? We have plenty of time for lunch.”

She glanced over her shoulder at me, and I could see determination in her eyes. “We’re eating someplace else today.”

“Change of pace, huh? Sounds good.” I hadn’t thought about it, but we did tend to eat in the same place every day. Eating someplace else might be a nice change. “Where is it? Or is it a surprise?”

“Sort of,” was all she would say.

I felt a little uneasy as she led me to the Reference Room…where Yukine ‘worked’. Before she opened the door, however, I stopped her. “Just a minute; you’re not going to hurt her, are you?”

She must have seen the look in my eyes, because she paled. “No, no! I just…” she looked at my hand as it held her forearm. “…I just want to meet your friends…and set some…boundaries.”

I was pretty sure I understood; she wanted the other girls to know that I was her boyfriend, so there was a line that they shouldn’t cross. “Okay, Kyou. Just…remember that they’re not your enemies, okay?”

She nodded as I released her arm. “I got it. Thanks.” And with that, she turned and opened the door.

To my surprise, she gently nudged me ahead of her. I wasn’t sure what she was doing so I went ahead to the tabled area.

Yukine looked up from the manga she was reading as she sat at the main table, and her expression visibly brightened as she stood. “Oh! Okazaki-senpai! It’s good to see you…” she trailed off as Kyou came up beside me. “I’m sorry senpai, I don’t believe we’ve met.” She bowed. “I’m Miyazawa Yukine.”

To my surprise, Kyou returned the bow. “I’m Fujibayashi Kyou,” she replied. “I’m Tomoya’s girlfriend.”

My eyes widened as Yukine’s smile faltered. “O-Oh! C-Congratul-lations!” She bowed again.

“Thank you!” Kyou replied smoothly. “Tomoya’s told me about you, so I wanted to meet you. He’s said good things about your cooking, so I was hoping to compare notes.”

Yukine was clearly taken aback. “I-I’m not really very good…”

“She’s selling herself short again,” I said to Kyou. Turning my attention to Yukine I said: “We were planning on having lunch here; is that okay?”

She looked back and forth between the two of us, and I could swear she looked like a small, scared animal. “N-no, that’s fine, s-senpai. Are you okay with me being here?”

“Of course!” Kyou chirped. “It’s your room, isn’t it?”

“Not r-really; I just take care of it…”

“Is it okay if I put this here?” Kyou asked as she held the bento box over the table.

“S-sure.”

“Miyazawa-san?” She looked so frightened that I had to say something. “Are you okay? You’re not usually like this.”

My eyes widened as she suddenly burst into tears. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t know…”

Kyou nearly teleported to my side and spoke quickly. “Could you leave for a few minutes? I need to have a girl-to-girl talk with her.”

“S-Sure.” I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I figured that this was beyond me. “I’ll be down the hall that way,” I said as I pointed toward the main building.

“Thanks,” I heard her say as I left the room.

I walked far enough away so I couldn’t hear them talking and leaned against the wall to wait.

Several minutes later I heard a door open, then close, and I saw Kyou walking toward me, slowly, staring at the floor and with her hands behind her back.

I started toward her. “Hey Kyou, what-”

The tears in her puffy, reddened eyes stopped me. “Tomoya…” she said, as her arms dropped to her sides. “…I love you.”

I reached out and took her by the shoulders. “Wha-What happened?!”

She sniffed a couple of times and wiped her sleeve across her eyes as I drew her into an embrace. “Yu-Yukine…she was going to…confess…to you today.”

Yukine’s behavior suddenly made sense. “…and then she saw you with me.”

Kyou nodded as she settled into my chest. “Oh god Tomoya, I wish you could’ve seen the look on her face while we talked…but I’m glad you didn’t.”

“How come?”

“Well…I’ve been telling you how awesome you are, and the look on her face and the stuff that she said…? She’s seen a side of you that I haven’t.” She stepped away to look up at me. “But the pain…I wouldn’t want you to see that.”

I looked past my girlfriend down to the door to the Reference Room and wished… “Isn’t there something I can do for her?”

Kyou managed to smile in spite of her tears. “She’ll let me know when we can come back. She needs some time.”

“I’ll bet,” I replied, feeling very self-conscious.

“She wants to be with you, Tomoya. But…I think she’ll be happy to have you as a friend, if she can.”

I smiled, feeling even more self conscious. “I’d…be okay with that. But what about you?”

She wrapped her arms around me, squeezing tightly. “Mine. But I’m willing to share.”

I chuckled. “So you’re okay with me having girl friends? I mean, friends that are girls?”

“It’s not like I won’t worry at all. But you proved yourself with Tomoyo, so I trust you.” She looked up at me again. “But…when you hang out with them, let me be with you, okay?”

I smiled sadly as I caressed her hair. “No problem.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen: Surprises**

After school I found myself with Kyou outside the school’s library, and I knew exactly who she wanted to talk to. Apparently Kyou had memorized all of the names I had given her on Saturday, and wanted to check Kotomi off of the list.

Again, I stopped her outside the door. “Listen: She’s a very timid girl, so take it easy on her. She probably doesn’t even feel anything like that for me since we’re already childhood friends.”

Kyou regarded me for a moment before sighing. “I understand, Tomoya. But I also understand girls pretty well, so…anyway, don’t worry; I plan on treating all of your friends with ‘kid gloves’…for now, at least,” she finished with a smile.

I returned her smile. “Okay. Thanks.”

She winked as she opened the door to the library.

“Tomoya-kun,” Kotomi greeted from her cushion as we entered the library. “Ah! Kyou-chan! Welcome!”

‘Kyou-chan’? I held back a snicker as Kyou glared at me before turning to Kotomi with a surprised look. “Wait, how do you know my name?”

She looked to me for permission, and I nodded. “Tomoya-kun talks about you quite a bit. He has told me that you are his girlfriend.”

Kyou and I exchanged smiles; this was going to be easier than we thought. “That’s right,” Kyou answered her with a sigh of relief.

“I am Tomoya-kun’s girlfriend, too.”

I heard the THUNK as Kyou’s jaw hit the floor; my chin hurt as well. “Wh-What?! N-No, I’m his girlfriend!!”

Kotomi nodded sagely. “I understood you the first time. Is it not wonderful having Tomoya-kun as a friend?”

Oh, so that was it. “Excuse us for a minute, Kotomi-chan,” I said as a pulled Kyou to the side. “I think this is her usual confusion about social stuff,” I whispered.

“So Kotomi’s not your girlfriend?” Kyou replied in a half-whisper, half-growl.

I shook my head. “No, she’s my girl-friend,” I countered, emphasizing the space between the words.

Kyou’s face showed that she was mulling this over. “All right, I think I get it.”

“It’s like I said before; she’s a friend who’s a girl.”

“Tomoya-kun?” Kyou and I both looked over at Kotomi, who was approaching us with a worried expression. “Are you okay? You look upset.”

I looked over to Kyou. “Let me explain it to her.” Turning to Kotomi I said, “I’m okay, Kotomi-chan. Listen, did your parents date before they married?”

The genius girl tilted her head. “They did.”

“Do you know if they called each other ‘boyfriend’ and ‘girlfriend’ while they were dating?”

Kotomi’s answer was immediate: “Yes, they did.” She smiled. “Mommy told me about that quite a-” Her face paled. “Wait, please; you and Kyou-chan are…dating?”

I nodded with a smile. “That’s right.” I looked over at Kyou. “Well, that makes things a lot-”

“N-No!”

I quickly looked back to a trembling Kotomi. “What’s wrong?”

Kotomi, still trembling, turned toward my girlfriend. “N-NO!! You can’t! Please! You’ll get married and take Tomoya-kun far away! P-Please don’t!”

I had never seen a person beg before so I watched, astonished, as Kotomi collapsed to her knees at Kyou’s feet, with her hands clasped in entreaty. “Please don’t take him away from me! He’s all I have left!”

***

Once again I found myself out in the hallway, cooling my heels as Kyou tried to calm down another hysterical girl.

And again, Kyou came out several minutes later with puffy, teary eyes. “It was like trying to comfort a child.” She sighed deeply. “I don’t know if she loves you romantically or not, but I know she does love you.”

I felt lower than dirt. “I’m sorry, Kyou…I-I really didn’t know.”

Kyou looked up at me, still teary-eyed. “Tomoya…what if your other friends are like Yukine and Kotomi? And Tomoyo, for that matter?”

My stomach slithered to my shoes as I considered the possibility. Nagisa was friendly enough, sure, but thinking of me like that? “I just can’t imagine it.”

“I can,” Kyou replied weakly. “But I can’t…I can’t do this anymore.”

“Do what?”

She shook me half-heartedly. “Hurting them just so I can tell them you’re mine.”

I felt a tightness in my chest. “Kyou…you’re not breaking up with me…are you?”

I was relieved when she shook her head. “No! No…” She shook me again, this time in earnest. “Why, Tomoya?! Why me?! I’ve been a bitch to you for so long!” She threw her arms around me and held tightly. “I was terrible to you about Tomoyo! Why did you take me back? Anyone would be better for you than me!”

I shoved her away to grab her by the shoulders. “You STOP THAT! RIGHT NOW!” I glared into her terrified face. “I will date whoever I want to, and I want to date you! Stop trash-talking yourself, RIGHT NOW!” Damn, I had never been so mad before. “I love you, Fujibayashi Kyou, and that’s all that matters to me! Yukine is a good friend; so is Kotomi. But you are my girlfriend; you got it?!”

She nodded; the terror was gone, replaced by an expression I had never seen before and didn’t recognize. “Y-Yes, M-M-Master.”

“Master?” What the…! “Did you just call me ‘Master’?”

She bit her lip, her eyes still locked on mine.

I mentally kicked myself. “Look, if it’s about the way I yelled at you, I’m sorry, really. I shouldn’t have treated you like that.”

“N-No, it’s fine. I’m glad you, uh…feel so strongly about me.” She swallowed hard as she backed away, that strange look still on her face. “I-I’m sorry, I have to go.”

“Are you okay?” I asked. “Can I walk you home or something?”

“N-No,” she stammered. For some reason, she was breathing rapidly. “That would not be a good idea.”

“Are you sure?” I asked as I reached out to her.

“NO!” I flinched as she shouted. “I’m sorry…I have to go…I HAVE TO GO!!” she shouted again as she ran down the hall toward the exit.

I stood, dumbfounded, as she slammed out the door. “What was that all about?”


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen: The Day After**

The walk to school the next day was a long one; I guess I had become spoiled from riding on Kyou’s scooter. I assumed that her behavior the previous day had something to with her not picking me up. I didn’t mind; I was more concerned about how she was doing, though her absence did make me late for school.

Apparently Ryou was aware of my situation, because when I finally made it to class, she was there to welcome me. “Don’t worry about being late, Okazaki-kun; I heard about what happened yesterday.”

“Thanks, Mom,” I deadpanned.

She giggled behind her hand. “Onee-chan was really flustered when she got home yesterday, so I figured she wouldn’t pick you up today. I’m sorry for not thinking to call.”

“It’s fine, Fujibayashi. I really should set an alarm on my own anyway; I’m not a kid anymore.”

She gave me a sympathetic look. “Having an alarm wouldn’t have helped with this situation, though…but I think I understand.”

“Thanks. So, how is she? She seemed really upset when she left yesterday. Is it my fault? Do you know?”

She shook her head, sending her braid bobbling. “I don’t know for sure. I know that it had something to do with you, but I don’t think it’s your fault.”

I rubbed at my chin. “I think I understand. Thanks.” I started to turn toward my seat, but… “Oh, hey. Do you know if we’ll be able to have lunch together? I want to give her space if she needs it, but…” I felt my face heat up. “…I kinda miss her.”

Ryou smiled affectionately. “I’ll see what I can do.”

***

Second and third periods came and went surprisingly quickly, and lunchtime found me standing in the courtyard, hoping that Kyou and I could have lunch together.

“Okazaki-san?”

I turned to see Nagisa approaching, bento box in hand and smile in place. “Hey, Furukawa. Sorry, am I in your spot?”

She shook her head. “No. I just saw you standing there and thought we could have lunch together. We haven’t seen each other in a while.”

True enough; after she got the Theatre Club started, she ended up with a surprising number of applicants. Apparently there were more Dango fans than any of us were aware of.

“Well I don’t mind, as long as you can wait for Kyou – or Fujibayashi would be fine too, I guess.”

“Sure!” she chirped. “We can catch up while we wait!”

So I got to hear about all of the students who joined the Theatre Club, mostly first-years with wide eyes. Once they found out about Nagisa’s lack of experience they immediately started studying together about all the aspects of theatre productions, from acting to lighting and everything in between.

“They’ve been really supportive,” she finished. “At first I was afraid I would have to put on a one-man show, but now-”

“Tomoya!” I heard a happy shout from behind me, and I turned to find Kyou jogging toward me with bento in hand and Ryou in tow. Any thoughts of yesterday fled my mind as she threw her arms around me and squeezed tightly. “Hi there.” As she released me she looked to Nagisa. “Oh my god, it’s been forever! How are you?!” she asked as she wrapped Nagisa in a less-aggressive embrace.

“G-Good,” Nagisa answered the best she could with Kyou’s shoulder pushing against her throat. “Kyou-san, I can’t breathe…”

Nagisa was released, and Kyou got to hear everything that I had just heard. “That’s amazing, Nagisa! You’re amazing.”

Nagisa shook her head as she rubbed at her throat. “Not really. If it weren’t for the others nothing would have happened.”

Kyou shook her head this time. “Uh-Uh; if you hadn’t started this there probably wouldn’t even be a Theatre Club to join. Besides, who’s doing all the organizing and leading the club?”

Nagisa looked down at the ground with pinked cheeks.

“Exactly. Give yourself some credit; you’re making great things happen!”

Nagisa flushed even more deeply. “Okay. So…” Even I could tell that Nagisa wanted to change the subject. “…how are you doing?”

“Well…” Kyou started as she took my hand. “…I’m doing really good!” She flashed a smile at me as she finished.

Of course Nagisa noticed this. “Kyou-san, Okazaki-san…are you two…dating?”

This surprised us both; even though Nagisa was busy with her club, word had to have gotten around… “Yeah, that’s right…” I replied as I looked over to my girlfriend. “…I figured our relationship wasn’t much of a secret.”

“Yeah…” she agreed.

We both looked back to our friend in time to see her blink several times and visibly swallow. “Nagisa? Are you okay?” Kyou asked with concern on her face.

Nagisa didn’t say anything, but nodded quickly. “I’m just so…happy…for both of you…I’m sorry, will you excuse me?” Without waiting for an answer she grabbed her bento and ran toward the school building, with Ryou in pursuit.

My head flopped down as I felt all of the energy drain out of me, but felt a little invigorated when I felt Kyou gently squeeze my hand. I looked over to see a compassionate expression on her face.

“It’s okay,” she said quietly.

“You mean Furukawa…she…?”

She nodded.

I clenched my free hand as well as my teeth; there was no way I was going to cry at school.

No way…

No…

Kyou gently took me by the shoulders and rested my head on her shoulder.

As I cried into her shoulder, I could clearly hear her say: “This is one of the reasons you’re so wonderful, Tomoya.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty: Home Visit**

Fortunately, the rest of the term finished without further incident, and Christmas break came.

Time off from school.

Time to meet Kyou’s parents.

I still wasn’t any closer to feeling confident in myself.

“You’ll be fine,” Kyou comforted me for the umpteenth time as she dropped me off at home from the closing ceremonies. I had assumed that she’d get sick of it eventually, but it appeared as though ‘eventually’ wouldn’t be any time soon. “They’re good people, so once you tell them your story, everything’ll be fine.”

“I believe you, Kyou,” I grunted. “I guess I’m having a hard time believing in myself.”

She gave me an affectionate smile. “Then I’ll just have to believe in you enough for the both of us.” She gave me a fierce hug. “I know you want to do everything yourself, but if I’m going to be your wife in the future, let me practice being a support to you now.”

I smiled wryly; I couldn’t argue with her logic or her drive. “All right, Kyou; I hear you.”

***

I knocked on the door to the Fujibayashi home. I was wearing my best clothes; a light-brown-colored suit with a white shirt and a blue necktie. It looked a lot like my school uniform, but Kyou convinced me that it looked different enough to be just fine.

I was just brushing a bit of lint from my sleeve when the door opened to a familiar face. “Okazaki-san!” Hiragi boomed with his usual gusto.

“Hiragi-san,” I returned, a smile spreading across my face. “It’s good to see you again.” Odd as it might have sounded, I was really hoping things would work out so he and I would be brothers-in-law; I got along with him even better than with Sunohara.

He grabbed me by the arm and half-dragged me into the house. “Kyou-chan! Your man’s here!”

“Kappei-kun…” Ryou giggled from the kitchen doorway. “Okazaki-kun, hello! How have you been?”

“Same as always,” I replied.

She giggled again. “I’m not sure how to take that; is it a good thing or a bad thing?”

“Little of both, I guess,” I snorted. “Where’s Kyou?”

“She’s still getting ready.” She faked a scowl. “I swear, Onee-chan takes too long to get ready!”

“I do not!” protested a voice from nearby.

I turned to my girlfriend, and…

What she was wearing was hard to describe. It was definitely a purple dress, though not the same color as her hair. It was made out of some kind of shiny material which reflected the light in interesting ways as she moved. There were…frills?…around the collar and the ends of the sleeves, as well as the bottom of the dress. She had curled her hair, and while she was obviously wearing makeup, it enhanced her beauty instead of distracting from it. The word ‘enchanting’ came to mind as I looked at her.

A soft giggle from behind me snapped me out of my trance. “Okazaki-kun, are you going to say ‘Hi’?”

“Oh! Yeah. H-Hi,” I heard myself stammer. “You look beautiful, Kyou.”

“Thank you,” she replied as she smoothed her hands on the sides of the dress. “I wanted to look pretty for you.”

I nodded in appreciation. “I’d say you succeeded…and then some.”

She blushed, the red an attractive contrast to the purple.

“Hey, who’s embarrassing my daughter?” boomed a voice from the kitchen. A moment later a large, dark-haired man appeared in the doorway. “You!” he shouted, pointing at me.

“Father…” Ryou started, “…it’s okay, he’s-”

‘Father’ crossed the space between us in two steps and stopped, glaring at me. “What did you say to my daughter?!”

“Dad, knock it off,” Kyou scolded. “This is my boyfriend.”

I hadn’t noticed at first due to my surprise and fear, but when I took a closer look I noticed the corner of his mouth twitching. Then he laughed, startling me again as he turned to my girlfriend. “Kyou, you ruined my performance!” He turned back to me with a broad smile and bowed, which I reflexively returned. “Fujibayashi Ryu. And you must be Okazaki Tomoya.”

“Yes sir,” I managed to squeak.

He laughed again, clapping me on the shoulder; I was already starting to learn why Kyou was the way she was. “Welcome, son! Welcome to my home. My daughter has spoken highly of you, and my wife and I have been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time!” He leaned in close with a more serious expression. “But I think I understand what has taken you so long.”

I felt the blood drain from my face; Had Kyou told them about my situation?

He apparently didn’t notice my distress as he gestured to Kyou. “What do you think? Isn’t she beautiful? They’re both like their mother, don’t you think?”

“Father,” Ryou interjected, “he hasn’t met Mother yet.”

Kyou also came to my rescue. “Dad, could we wait for Twenty Questions until dinner? Tomoya’s just got here, and you’re just overwhelming him.”

The Fujibayashi patriarch seemed to catch himself. “Of course. I only meant to tease him a little.” He regarded me again. “You okay, son?”

‘Son?’ That word sure took me back… “Y-Yeah. I’m okay, thank you.”

“Dear, are you harassing Kappei again?” A beautiful woman came out of the kitchen, and it was obvious that she was the twins’ mother. She had short, purple hair- wait, it was long hair tied back, soft blue eyes, and a figure that belied the fact that she had birthed twins.

She turned her kind eyes on me. “Oh! Hello! Is my bear of a husband giving you trouble, young man?”

I felt a smile spread across my face. “No ma’am; he’s just giving me a hard time, but I’m okay.”

She threw a plaid hand towel at her husband. “Ryu, knock that off; he’s a guest here.”

“Yeah, yeah, sorry.”

She gave him a scowl that quickly softened to a smile before looking back at me. “Ah, you must be Kyou’s boyfriend…Okazaki Tomoya-san, right?”

It was hard to not smile back at her. “Yes, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I could have sworn that she blushed slightly. “Well make yourself at home; dinner will be ready before too long.”

“Hey, where’s my greeting?” protested Kyou’s dad. “You know, ‘pleasure to meet you’ and all that?”

“If you hadn’t come at him like an ogre, he would’ve said that,” Kyou remarked as Ryou giggled.

“Yes, well…” he replied as he rubbed the back of his neck.

I decided to take the initiative. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well, sir,” I said as I bowed again.

I saw a surprised look on his face when I straightened again. He quickly recovered, however. “Hey, uh, Kappei’s in the library; want to join us for a pre-dinner drink and conversation?”


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One: Meeting the Parents**

After light conversation in the study, dinner was served.

“So, Tomoya…” Ryu started, “...you’re in the same class as my daughter?”

“Fujibaya – sorry, I mean Ryou is my class rep.”

His brow wrinkled just slightly. “Really? You’re not in the same classroom as Kyou?”

“No, sir.”

“So how did you two meet?” asked Mrs. Fujibayashi.

My face flushed as I thought back on the drama of the last few months.

Fortunately, Ryou saved me. “O-Okazaki-kun and I dated for a while, but found out that we really weren’t a good match. After we broke up…” She looked meaningfully over at her sister.

“…Tomoya and I found out that we clicked, and so we got together,” Kyou finished, looking intently at her plate.

Kyou’s father put down his chopsticks and looked at each of us in turn before turning to his wife. “Rinko, I smell a lie. Do you?”

Rinko shrugged with a small smile. “A little one, but I don’t think it would be helpful to pry.”

“Hmm,” he grunted, and then looked to Hiragi. “Kappei?”

Hiragi waved his hands in surrender. “Oh, no. Don’t get me involved. I don’t know much about this, anyway.”

Ryu grunted again before picking up his chopsticks again. “As long as no one’s pregnant, I guess…”

Fortunately nobody noticed Ryou’s furious blush at his remark.

“So, Okazaki-san…” Rinko started, “…what are your plans after graduation?”

I suddenly felt very vulnerable.

“Actually, I was hoping you could help with that,” Kyou interjected. “He’s been having problems at home and was thinking of moving out.”

My gaze snapped up to my girlfriend. Did she really need to bring this up in front of everyone?

To their credit, Kyou’s mom and dad immediately took on expressions of concern. “Problems?” Ryu asked. “What kind?”

“A-” I don’t know what Kyou had started to say, but she quickly cut herself off and looked at me with a look of apology.

I figured there was no point in waiting anymore. “My dad and I don’t get along. Mom died when I was really young, he and I fought when I was in middle school, he broke my shoulder in a fight which ended my ability to play basketball,” I saw Rinko’s hands fly to her mouth at that, “…and now he calls me ‘Tomoya-kun’ like I’m some kind of stranger.”  I could feel my face heat up, both from embarrassment and from anger. “So I try to avoid him as much as possible, which means I’m away from home really late, which makes me late for school.” I shrugged. “Of course, lately I haven’t cared as much since Kyou’s been really helpful in keeping me from thinking about my dad. Still…I’d like to try to find someplace else to live so I can focus on my schooling and not have to deal with him.”

“You really shouldn’t speak of your father like that,” Ryu replied, before receiving a towel to the head.

“Husband, this young man is dealing with a lot right now. And that kind of talk is not helping,” Rinko lightly scolded.

Ryu absently folded the towel and set it aside. “Yes, but so is his father. He lost his wife, and suddenly had to raise a child all on his own?”

I felt the blood drain from my face; I’d never thought of that before. “Yeah, I guess Dad did go through a lot, huh?” I looked over at Kyou, who was looking at me sympathetically. “And I’ve just been caught up in my problems.”

“It’s perfectly understandable dear,” Rinko said soothingly, drawing my attention again. “We parents are supposed to be there and help while our children figure out who they are and what they are supposed to do with their lives. Unfortunately, bad things can happen to even the best of parents, and losing a spouse…?” She bit her lip. “…It’s almost impossible to recover from.”

I looked over at Kyou again and imagined what it would be like if I went to school one day only to find out that she had died and suddenly felt a swelling in my chest. “I’m sorry, excuse me for a minute,” I said as I bolted from the table. Fortunately I knew where a bathroom was since I had used it earlier, and I quickly shut the door behind me and turned the light on. I fell to my knees and cried into my hands. If I could feel this sad over a pretend scenario, how much worse would it be for my dad, who really lost his wife after several years of marriage, of love and memories, who lived through something much worse than what I was just imagining?

God, I was such an ass.

I heard a tap at the door. “Tomoya?’ came Kyou’s voice. “Are you okay?”

I opened the door and pulled her into an embrace. “I’ve got to…make up with Dad…somehow.” I released her to look into her eyes. “I’m the only family he has left…well, other than Grandma…but…I have to make things right with him.”

She smiled affectionately at me. “Well, how about you come back to the table, and we’ll help you figure out how?”

I wiped at my eyes before giving her a smile. “Sounds good.”


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two: The Long Way Home**

“The first thing I would suggest,” Ryu started, “is that you apologize for the hurt you’ve caused your father.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he raised his hand. “I understand that he has hurt you as well, but if you wait for him to act first, nothing may ever happen. At the very least, clear your side of the table. Then, it should be easier for him to see the mess on his side.”

I didn’t like it but it made sense; I couldn’t keep waiting for Dad to make the first move. I’d already been doing that for years, and nothing had happened. So I would have to take that first step. “So what do I do?”

Ryu leaned back in his chair. “You two need a quiet place to talk, so home would probably be the best place for that. I understand that you don’t have the best memories there, but you may just have to put up with it.” He paused, scratching at his ear. “You’ll want to be specific in what you’re apologizing for, so think about that in advance. He may have some things that he needs to tell you; be ready to listen with an open mind.” Ryu leaned forward. “He may not be right in everything he says, but I doubt he’ll lie to you about how he feels. Of course,” he started with a snort, “we men can be pretty prideful when it comes to feelings, so he may not tell you anything at all.”

I mulled this over. “I guess all I can do is say ‘I’m sorry’ for what I can.”

Rinko spoke up at this point. “At the very least he’ll know that you have thought about your actions and that you want to do the right things.”

“And every parent wants to see their children doing the right things,” Ryu added. “Lord knows I’ve worked my butt off trying to teach these two-”

He didn’t get to finish the thought as he received another towel to the head and, as Hiragi and the twins laughed, I realized where Kyou’s tendency toward throwing books came from.

“Ah!” the large man cried, holding a hand to his head. “My wife is such a brute!” He said before joining the others in laughter.

I looked around the room at the Fujibayashis and realized...I wanted that. I wanted to sit with Dad and laugh together and eat meals together. I wanted to talk to him about school, dating, sports…anything!

“Tomoya?” Apparently Kyou noticed a thoughtful expression on my face and I looked up to see a worried expression on hers. “Are you okay?”

The smile came easily. “Yeah. I just…I have a lot of thinking to do…lot of planning, too.”

“I think you’ll do fine, young man,” Ryu said with his arms crossed and an approving smile. “Yes, just fine.”

I looked back over at Kyou again, who smiled at me affectionately. “I believe you can do it,” she said. “I don’t think it’ll be easy, but I believe you can do it.”

***

“Are you going to be all right?”

I turned back to my girlfriend, who stood in the doorway looking at me with a worried expression. “Yeah, I think so,” I grunted. “Your dad gave me a lot to think about, but I’ll be okay.”

A smile spread across her face as she stepped down from the porch to wrap me in a hug. “Like I said; I believe in you.”

I returned both the hug and the smile. “Well, I guess that’s going to have to be enough for now…I don’t think I can-”

Kyou pulled away, letting a hand linger on my chest. “Just do your best, Tomoya; that’s all we can ask.”

My body walked home on its own as I thought about what Kyou’s parents had told me. As much as I hated it, I would have to be the one to ‘break the ice’. I still thought that Dad should have been the one to apologize first, but after all he’s been through…

“Damn,” I muttered. “I can be such an ass.” 

I thought back to my experience in the bathroom, when I had imagined losing Kyou. I tried imagining how Dad must have felt, losing Mom the way he did; it was hard for me to understand. What I knew was that he had to have hurt a lot, but that he had to press on because he had a son that he still had to take care of.

It occurred to me: “Did he start calling me ‘Tomoya-kun’ to disown me?” I shook my head at the thought; if he really wanted to disown me he would have thrown me out of the house. Without consciously realizing it I became fixated on his behavior: After our fight where he hurt my shoulder he started calling me ‘Tomoya-kun’. He also spoke to me more as a stranger instead of-wait, was he treating me as more of an equal? Was he giving me space to become my own person? Was he trying to make up for hurting me by giving me that space? Maybe I pushed him to his breaking point?

Before I knew it my feet were moving faster and I could feel moisture on my face. Odd…it wasn’t raining. It wasn’t until I reached up and wiped a hand across my face that I realized I was…crying. Or, at least, my eyes were watering.

I came to a dead stop as I realized that I had been thinking so much that I hadn’t realized how I was feeling. “I feel…guilty.”

Suddenly, I had to get home. Before I knew it, my feet were moving again. It was strange, like I was watching someone else running at top speed even though I was the runner. I could feel the moisture on my face again, but I didn’t care. I had to get home and tell Dad that I was sorry, and what I was sorry for.

Unfortunately, emotional stuff doesn’t always work out the way we’d like them to, because all I remember is the front door opening, a surprised look on Dad’s face as I grabbed him into a hug, and hearing myself say “I’m sorry, I’m sorry” over and over again.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Reconciliation**

I stared blankly at the tabletop as Dad put the steaming cup of tea before me. He then sat across from me, and I could feel his gaze upon me. I figured he was waiting for me to explain the ruckus I’d caused after getting home.

It wasn’t hard for me to know what I wanted to tell him; the problem was how to tell him, the words I would use to describe the concepts. Translating feelings into words is hard!

I heard Dad clear his throat. “I appreciate that you want to apologize to me for something. I would just like to know what I am supposed to be forgiving you for.”

I chuckled softly. “Yeah, that’s fair.” I rubbed at my face to relieve some tension. “I’m just not sure where to start…or how to start.”

To his credit, he sat there quietly while I tried to sort out my thoughts.

I finally just had to bumble my way through: “I’m sorry for being an ass of a son all this time.”

I’m pretty sure that I saw his eyebrows nearly meet his hairline.

“I mean, you lost your wife and you had to raise a kid all by yourself. That must have been really hard on you! I know I was just a kid, but I should have realized this sooner.”

His eyebrows returned to their usual place but he still said nothing.

“I just wish…” I trailed off as I looked down at my tea. I wanted something; what was it? Ah! “I wish I could go back and do things differently. Be a better son to you, help out somehow. You shouldn’t have had to go through that all by yourself.”

When I looked back to him, I was surprised to see tears trailing down his face. “Dad…?”

“Eh?” He quickly ran a hand across his face. “Is something the matter, Tomoya?”

‘Tomoya’? Did he just call me ‘Tomoya’, without the ‘–kun’? I felt a smile start to spread across my face. “No. Nothing’s the matter.” He suddenly looked…different. “Do you…can we…?” I lightly thumped the table in frustration. “Can we go do something?”

He tilted his head ever so slightly, and I knew that I had his attention. “Do you have something in mind?”

I shook my head. “No, nothing in particular. I just want to go have fun with you.” I then felt a tightening in my chest as Dad quickly rubbed at his face again.

“Let me get my coat,” was all he said.

***

“Your mother and I used to take you here quite often,” he said as we walked down one of the many park paths.

“Really?” I smiled to myself as I watched that ground pass under my feet. “I must have been pretty young, since I don’t remember.”

“Oh yes, you must have been what, four? Five?” I caught a glimpse of him scratching his head. “The time sure does fly. Now you’re in your last year of high-school.” His pace slowed. “I’ve missed so much…”

I made myself stay quiet as we came to a stop.

“I don’t want to miss any more, though. Do you have a girlfriend, Tomoya?”

“Yeah.” I smiled as I told him about Kyou, leaving out the less-than-stellar parts of our relationship. My heart warmed as I saw the smiled that spread across his face.

“Oh yes, the Fujibayashi girl. Is she the one with the shorter hair?”

“No, that’s Ryou. She and I dated for a while before realizing that we weren’t a good fit.” At first I had thought that this was a lie, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that we didn’t ‘click’. “Kyou has the longer hair.”

Dad grunted. “I guess I confused the two because I saw them both together once, but their hair looked so similar.” He shook his head. “In any case, are the two of you doing okay?”

I nodded. “We’ve had some growing to do, but we’re doing really good.”

“That’s good to hear,” Dad said, nodding to himself. “Your mother and I had very few bumps in our relationship, but I know that’s atypical for new couples.”

“Tell me about Mom,” I found myself blurting out. “What did you like about her?”

“Oh, she was beautiful,” he said with a faraway look. “Long hair, perfect skin, a smile that could grab your heart from across the room.” He sighed. “And she was just as beautiful on the inside, Tomoya. She loved everyone, and she loved them deeply. I really miss her,” he finished, his smile fading.

“I’m sorry, Dad. I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No no,” he said, waving his hands. “To tell you the truth, I’ve been needed to talk about this – about her – for a long time.” We started walking again. “I really should get out the old album and show you the photos of her.”

“I’d like that,” I said quietly.

“So,” Dad started after a long silence, “what do you like about this Kyou girl? She a good cook?”

“The best,” I boasted. “And…I don’t know how to explain this…she…she likes to take care of people.”

“She has a big heart then?”

“That’s it. She cares a lot about people. In fact, when I was dating Ryou, she-” I cut myself off. “Um, never mind.”

“Did she put aside her own feelings in some way?”

I was sure the expression on my face gave it away, but still… “I’d…I don’t want to talk about that, if that’s okay. It’s pretty painful.”

I was relieved to see Dad simply nod. “I understand, Tomoya. However, should you ever want help sorting out your thoughts and feelings, please come talk to me. I want to help you, if I can.”

_“We parents are supposed to be there and help while our children figure out who they are and what they are supposed to do with their lives.”_

My steps faltered as Rinko’s words came back to me; fortunately, I recovered quickly. “Thanks, Dad. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Now!” he exclaimed, rubbing his hands together. “How does some hot cocoa sound? This old man is cold!”

I laughed as I realized I was seeing my father with new eyes. “Sounds good.”


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four:  Onward**

I must have been in a good mood the next day, because when I saw Kyou at school the first thing I thought of was picking her up and twirling her around. So I did.

“Ack! Who-!” I heard her sputter. “Tomoya! What are you doing?!”

“Twirling you around,” I replied, continuing the movement. “Why?”

“Put me down!” she demanded. “No, wait! I like this; keep going.” She threw her arms above her, a big smile across her face.

It hadn’t occurred to me that she had been talking with her sister and one of her classmates until I heard “Um…”

I caught a glimpse of Ryou during a rotation. “Oh! Sorry, Fujibayashi.” I slowed, settling Kyou to the floor. “Here’s your sister.”

“Thank you,” Ryou said with a soft smile. “You seem happy.”

“Yeah,” Kyou agreed. “Did things go okay with your dad?”

I thought for a minute. I really hadn’t felt this happy in a long time, so… “Yeah, kinda. We’re off to a good start, at least; we had a really good talk last night.”

The twins both clapped their hands, saying “That’s great!” and “That’s wonderful!” almost at the same time before patting me on the shoulders and back repeatedly.

It was embarrassing, and I found myself squirming under their approving hands. “Yes! Yes! Thank you! Stop!” I protested, laughing.

Kyou stopped first, stepping back and reaching into her pocket. “Oh yeah, that reminds me: Dad asked me to give this to you.” She handed me a small slip of paper. On it was just an address, nothing more.

“What is this?” I asked.

Kyou responded with a sad smile. “I’m sorry; Dad made me promise not to tell you. I can tell you that it’s a surprise, though.”

I blinked at the card. If Dad had the internet at home I could have just looked it up. But then it would spoil the surprise.

I tucked away any further thoughts of researching the address. “Okay,” I said. “I’ll play along.”

***

“Hmph.”

I grunted to myself as I looked from the address on the card to the hospital that it had directed me. There was nothing unusual about the building, other than Kyou’s dad wanting me to come here for some reason. “Well, forward, I guess.” And with that, I opened the door.

The receptionist wasn’t hard to find, but before I got there I came across a familiar face. Shoving aside my usual reservations when it came to dealing with people, I approached the lady. “Excuse me?”

She looked up from her magazine and a smile spread across her face. “Well hi, Okazaki-san!”

I dipped my head in apology as I still drew a blank. “I’m really sorry; I recognize you, but I can’t remember your name.”

Her smile broadened. “That’s okay, it has been a while. I’m Yoshino Kouko. You helped my sister a while back. Fuuko?”

The strength nearly left my legs as a flood of memories and emotions crashed through me. “Of course…” I think I said. “You and Yoshino-san married back in May!” I scratched my head. “Now how could I forget something like that?”

Kouko’s smile shifted to a soft one. “It’s okay. Apparently a lot of people have forgotten, though I can’t for the life of me figure out why.” Her expression then took on one of wistfulness. “I do feel like something important happened there…”

Eager to lift the mood I asked, “So, what are you doing here? Is your husband okay?”

She waved a hand at me. “Oh, he’s fine; he’s just getting coffee, his ‘artificial life support’ as he calls it. No, we’re actually here to visit Fu-chan. She’s been in a coma since she was in an accident after the entrance ceremony at your high school. Gosh, that was what, almost three years ago?”

I blinked. “So we would have been in the same grade?”

She nodded. “Yup. She would have been a third-year this year.” She looked past me. “There you are! How long does it take you to get coffee?”

“Ten minutes if there’s a line,” a smooth male voice replied from behind me. He stopped and regarded me. “Who’re you?”

“This young man would have been one of Fu-chan’s classmates,” Kouko replied. “Okazaki Tomoya-san.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said, bowing.

“You, too.”

“Well, we need to be on our way,” Kouko said to start a farewell. “Take care.”

As the couple walked away (presumably to visit her sister) I felt a strange sense of loss, as though I had missed out on a possibility. I blinked my way back to reality and looked at the card again. “Oh! Appointment!”

***

“Sit right here,” the doctor said affably while patting the table.

I did as I was told, even though the doctor still hadn’t told me what I was there for. I sat quietly while he went through what I assumed was the usual routine: Blood pressure check, oxygen check, lifestyle questions…

“So what happened to your shoulder?” he asked while looking at my records.

“Fell into a wall,” I answered simply.

He looked at me over his glasses. “Hmph,” he apparently concluded.

“I fell…really hard.”

“So it would seem,” he mumbled, looking back at a page. “Well, let’s get you down to Radiology and see what the X-ray can tell us.”

X-ray? I felt the blood drain from my face. “Sir! I-I can’t afford that! I don’t’ even know why Kyou’s dad wanted me to come here in the first place!”

He smiled kindly, if a bit mysteriously. “Let’s just say that Ryu-san wanted to see if he could do anything for you.”

“I don’t understand.” Kyou’s dad, doing something for me? And what would it have to do with my- “No way…” Was it possible?

“I’ll make a deal with you, Okazaki-san; you do what I tell you, and we’ll do our very best to take care of you. Deal?”

The possibility was too good to be true, but… “Okay, Doc. Lead the way.”


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five: A New Lease**

“YES!!!” I cheered, as the ball sunk through the basket. I rotated my shoulder several times in wonder. “And it doesn’t even hurt!”

Kyou and I had already celebrated the results of the experimental surgery, but I had to tell someone: “Of course! Kotomi! She’d love to hear about this!”

I ran from the gym, took the stairs two at a time and quickly found myself before the library doors. My smile must have looked goofy as I reached for the doorknob.

“Tomoya-kun,” Kotomi greeted from her cushion. Around her spread a variety of open books.

“Hey Kotomi-chan!” Even in all my excitement I hadn’t forgotten how she preferred to be addressed. “My shoulder! It works!”

She shook her head, sending her hair ornaments bobbing. “Your shoulder works? I don’t understand; what was wrong with it?”

I had forgotten that we weren’t friends when my shoulder was ‘broken’. “I injured my shoulder when I fell against a wall a few years ago. I thought I had broken it, but it turns out that I had just bruised something. The doctor did something with some kind of ice, and now I can play basketball again, and…what?”

She was smiling fondly. “I like seeing you this happy. This is the first time I have seen you this happy since becoming reacquainted.”

I suddenly felt really awkward. “I’m sorry. Am I talking too much?”

She shook her head again as she rose to her feet. “Not at all. I am happy for you; now you can follow your dream to play…basketball, is it not?” She stopped right in front of me.

“Yeah, but I gave up on that after my injury.” It then hit me: “Hey; would you like to come to the gym and watch me? I want you to see me shoot baskets! I haven’t been able to do that for years.”

Her smile reflected in her eyes as she clasped her hands in front of her. “I would love to.”

***

“Did you see that shot, Kotomi-chan?!”

Kotomi sat clapping on the sidelines. “I did! It was very impressive!”

I held my right arm straight in front of me. “I used to not be able to lift my arm higher than this. But now…” I retrieved the basketball and executed a lay-up. “No pain! It’s like it was never injured in the first place!”

She clapped again, he face the epitome of happiness. “Good for you, Tomoya-kun!”

“Can I teach you how to shoot?”

Kotomi cocked her head, looking like a puzzled puppy; it was cute. “Me?”

“Sure!” I waved her over. “I have a lot of energy right now. I need to use it for something useful.”

Kotomi still looked uncertain.

“Oh come on,” I said. “We used to toss the ball as kids; this isn’t that much different.”

A hesitant smile flickered across her face as she carefully rose to her feet and made her way over tome. “All right. What do I do?”

“Well…let me show you a basic shot.” I took up the position for a ‘free-throw’ and sent the ball through the basket. “See? Bend your knees and elbows and aim just above the hoop.”

She accepted the ball, stood where I had been standing, and tried to copy my movements. As expected, she ‘air-balled’ on her first try.

I noted the pout on her face as I retrieved the ball. “It’s okay, Kotomi-chan. I messed up a lot when I started…in fact, I was messing up a lot when I started again after my surgery.”

She accepted the ball and tried few more times, air-balling each time. “I am sorry, Tomoya-kun. I do not think that I can do this.”

I smiled affably. “That’s okay. We all have our strengths.”

She gave me a return smile, but it quickly faded. “You would have to travel much if you played basketball, correct?”

“Yeah,” I replied as I wiped my face with a towel; I hadn’t exercised this hard in a long time.  “I’m not sure how many away games I would be playing, but yeah, I’d have to travel sometimes.”

“But you would come home after your travels, correct?”

“Yeah…” I answered, feeling more than a little apprehensive. “Why?”

She moved closer, and her face filled my view as she cupped my face with her hands. “The day before yesterday, I saw a rabbit; yesterday, I saw a deer; today, I see you.”

“Huh?”

Without answering my question she closed her eyes, drew her face closer and…kissed me?! It was a moment and an eternity at the same time. My eyes closed on their own, the sensation was so overwhelming.

I was able to regain some of my senses after she broke the kiss. “K-Kotomi? What…why…?”

“Tomoya-kun,” she replied softly. “I see only you.” And with that, she kissed me again –WHOA! – more forcefully this time!

I didn’t want to hurt her, but I had to get her off me before Kyou could catch us – with her tonGUE IN MY MOUTH! “Mph!” I tried to protest, fighting against arousal. I didn’t know what books she had been reading, but she had really learned how to kiss, and the feeling of her softness against me, and her hands on my face…I was fighting against myself as much as I was against her!

My blood ran cold when I heard a familiar voice: “Kotomi? What are you doing to my boyfriend?”

Kotomi broke the kiss again, tongue still stuck out between slightly reddened lips, eyes widened in obvious fear.

I slowly looked over to see Kyou standing at the open door to the gym, fists are her sides, and I knew that there was no way I would be able to explain our way out of this.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Final Showdown?**

I quickly – reflexively, really –put myself in front of Kotomi, shielding her from Kyou’s imminent wrath. “If you’re going to hit someone, you hit me, got it?”

“Tomoya-kun…” I could feel Kotomi’s trembling grip on the back of my shirt.

“I’m not going to hit anyone,” Kyou said in deliberate measured tones; she was really reigning it in. “Right now, I just want Kotomi to tell me why she was kissing you.”

“H-How do you know that I didn’t kiss her first?” I replied. Really, I would rather Kyou hit me than Kotomi; I knew my childhood friend wasn’t very durable.

“She had her hands on your face, but your hands were at your sides. She was leaning toward you, while you were leaning away from her. But most importantly, I know you better than that.”

She had me there. “All right, Kyou. But I will stand right here while you ask your questions. Kotomi is still my friend, so I still feel obligated to protect her from harm.”

Kyou’s fists relaxed. “Fair enough. Kotomi; why were you kissing my boyfriend?”

I had an idea why, truth be told, but I wanted to hear the answer, too. So I kept my mouth shut for the time being.

Kotomi didn’t answer, and Kyou took a step closer. “Kotomi? Why were you kissing my boyfriend?”

“I...I…”

“Why were you kissing my boyfriend?”

“I’m sorry…”

“Why were you kissing my boyfriend?”

I had to jump in before things got bad: “Kotomi-chan; please answer her. She deserves an answer, don’t you think?”

“Be-Be-Because…” Her voice sounded so tiny by this point.

“Yes? Because…?” Kyou prompted.

I felt Kotomi tugging on my shirt to turn me, so I turned until I was facing her again. “Kotomi…?”

The look in her eyes was sheer terror, but I admired the courage that she showed at that moment. “Because…I-I love you, Tomoya-kun.”

That was what I had figured, but I was still stunned to hear her admit it. I watched, dumbfounded, as tears spilled over her eyelids to stream down her cheeks. I didn’t know what to do, so I looked to my girlfriend for backup…

Except that tears were running down her face, too. What the hell? “Kyou?”

I watched as Kyou took hesitant steps toward me before realizing that she was reaching for Kotomi. I got the sense that everything would be fine so I started to step aside, only to be surprised again as Kotomi stepped around me and reached toward Kyou.

The two collapsed into a messy pile of tears and hugs. Neither of them seemed to be in a hurry to talk; they just held each other and cried. I figured that it was something only girls would understand, so I just sat on the floor nearby and waited patiently.

***

“She’s so cute when she’s sleeping,” Kyou remarked while looking at Kotomi, whose sleeping face rested against my leg. “Maybe after we get married we should adopt her.”

I chuckled softly along with her giggle. “That’d be awkward. She’s actually older than us by a few months. Besides, I don’t think we’d be a very good replacement for her parents.” After a noticeable pause, I had to ask: “Are you okay?”

She sighed. “Yeah. I guess…well, when I saw Kotomi, I kinda saw myself from about a year ago. In love, but on the outside, feeling like I’d never had a chance.”

I gently squeezed her. “Kyou…is there any chance that we could live around here? Kotomi wasn’t lying when she said that I’m all she has left. I mean, I think she could use some therapy, but having me around could at least be helpful...in…”

“In the short-term?”

“Yeah, the short-term. Maybe stick around until she gets back on her feet.”

Kyou’s brow furrowed as she studied my friend. “I don’t know…that could take a long time. I don’t mind the idea of helping her out, but we’re going to have our own life to live, right?”

“True,” I grunted. “I just…I feel like I’d be abandoning her if I just went on with my life.”

She smiled as she sat up and kissed me on the cheek. “Another reason why you’re a good man, Tomoya.” She sighed again, this time more heavily. “Let’s just take this one step at a time. First, we see if we can get her some help. After that…we’ll just have to see.”

“So you’re considering it?” I asked hopefully.

She nodded quietly. “I’d feel like I was abandoning her, too.”

Kotomi started to stir, moaning softly. She looked up at us and smiled sleepily. “Tomoya-kun, Kyou-chan, good morning.”

“It’s actually the afternoon, sleepyhead,” Kyou replied.

“Are you feeling better?” I asked.

She sat up all the way and rubbed at her eyes. “I do not know. I am content but sad at the same time.”

I looked over at my girlfriend, who gave a slight nod. Turning my attention back to Kotomi I told her, “Kyou and I don’t plan on going anywhere for a while.”

“But understand,” Kyou added, “we can’t control everything in our lives, so we may ‘go away’ at some point.” She took a deep breath. “Tomoya and I have been talking, and we think that it would help you to talk to someone about your sadness.”

My childhood friend cocked her head. “Are you referring to a counselor?”

“Something like that,” I confirmed. “You’ve been through a lot and haven’t had anyone to talk to about it, so maybe talking to someone who could help you sort out your thoughts and feelings would be helpful.”

She briefly seemed to consider what we had told her, and she slowly nodded. “I can see the logic in it. I have been alone for so long that I am used to it, but it may not be good for me.” She focused on the two of us. “Do you know where I would start?”

Kyou and I smiled at each other. We had already looked into the possibility and knew just who to talk to.

I hopped to my feet and helped Kyou to hers before extending my hand to my oldest and dearest friend. “Let’s go. We’ll take you to him.”


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Turning the Page**

I looked up in awe at the sheer size of the laboratory. Computers and screens covered the walls and the tables and desks that littered the warehouse-sized space. “Amazing…”

“Yeah,” came a voice from beside me. I looked over to Kyou, whose wide eyes and open mouth probably matched my expression. “You can tell they do big things here.”

“Tomoya-kun, Kyou-chan; Welcome!” Kotomi, wearing what I assumed was a lab coat, hurried up to us. “Thank you for accepting my invitation.”

“No problem,” I managed to reply, still in awe. “This is…really amazing.”

She looked around before giggling as she looked back to me. “I had not thought about that; I suppose I am used to it by now, but I do remember being impressed when I first arrived.”

I took a minute to examine my childhood friend. While she looked pretty much the same on the outside, I knew that she was different on the inside.

After the ‘kissing event’ she had started seeing a counselor on a regular basis, and Kyou and I saw almost immediate changes in her. She came out of her house more often and, even though there were only a few weeks of school left, she made herself available to the third-year students as a tutor of sorts to help them prepare for the final exams. Of course Kyou and I took advantage of her offer, though it did seem like Kotomi spent more time tutoring me than…well, pretty much all the other students combined. I think Kyou noticed, but didn’t let it bother her. Amazing woman.

Somewhere in there Kotomi had reached out to her parents’ coworkers. Since she had read all of her parents’ work they accepted her ‘on-the-spot’. This was helpful to her, both professionally and personally, since she could make money and have a kind of connection to her parents through the application of her knowledge of String Theory. So she pretty much went right from our graduation ceremony to Sci-Tek Laboratories.

I was only able to half-listen to what Kotomi was trying to explain to Kyou and I, but I could see from the look on her face that between her counseling and her new career that she would be just fine.

One strange thing happened while I was there, though; Kotomi had me look through a window into some machine that they used for their experiments and, for a moment, I could swear that I saw myself…well, a whole bunch of ‘me’ talking with each other.

***

“See, Tomoya? Told you I could do it.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Kyou received her letter of acceptance from the teaching school she had applied to, and was ready to start at her new school pretty much the day after graduation. At first I had thought it impossible for her to become a kindergarten teacher; she was just too rough around the edges to be gentle with kids. After her ‘transformation’ though, I could see it. Maybe I just missed it before because she had to be rough with me while hiding her feelings. I didn’t need to know, but if she ever wanted to tell me, I’d listen.

I didn’t have any problem admitting that she was right; in fact, I was really proud of her and I said so. Watching her blush was a good reward.

“T-Tomoya…” was all she could say.

At first it was difficult, and we were worried that our relationship wouldn’t make it. Kyou had classes all the time, and I had just been recruited to some low-ranking basketball team, so we hardly ever got time together.

Fortunately we were able to afford cell phones at some point, so we got to talk to each other a lot more. I don’t think our relationship would have fallen apart completely, but having those little phones sure made things easier for us.

I have to admit, it was weird seeing Kyou at school as a teacher. I was so used to seeing her as another student that to see the…difference? Change?

In any case, as I watched a little brown-haired girl run up to her I realized that Kyou was right where she needed to be.

But…why did seeing that brown haired-girl give me a sudden headache?

***

“Okazaki Tomoya!”

“YES!!!”

I couldn’t help but yell when my name was called. I mean, a few years ago I would have never thought that I would be able to play basketball again. I don’t know how Kyou’s dad arranged it, but I thanked him over and over again for making it so I could play basketball again.

He had put on his grumpy face in response: “What’re you thanking me for? Get your butt to the court and start practicing!”

So I practiced. A lot. I did the special exercise the doctor told me to do for my shoulder, I ran to build up my stamina, I practiced shooting left-handed when my shoulder got tired…

I worked hard for the position on the team.

Kyou tried to be supportive, but with her schooling, and then placement at a school, she was pretty busy. The cell phones were a lifesaver when I would feel down and needed to talk to her.

Kotomi got my number somehow (Kyou said she hadn’t given it to her) and called me nearly every day to encourage me. Apparently having a ‘childhood friend’ had some benefits in adulthood.

So I got on the team and continued to work my butt off. Drills, drills, and more drills. They were exhausting, but…there were some benefits.

“Okazaki?” My coach called me over. “I’ve been watching you, and I like your energy.” He leaned toward me and said in a low tone, “Just between you and me, you’re the one carrying the team right now.”

“Huh? What about Takahashi and Ito? They’re much better at the hoop than I am.”

He furrowed his brow. “Well yeah, but I’m talking overall talent.” He pointed at me. “You can cover any position on the team, while those two are good at shooting and that’s it. One-trick ponies.”

In my heart I believed him, but I had no idea how far my skill would take me…


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: To the Future**

“And wearing Number Zero-four for Japan, Tomoya Okazaki!”

I jogged onto the court as my name was called. I had worked hard for five years. Even though I hadn’t worked toward this in particular goal I was excited to be chosen to represent Japan in the Summer Olympics. Who would have thought that a guy with a busted shoulder could recover enough to play at this level?

As I exchanged high-fives with my teammates I looked into the crowd for my wife and son. Sure enough, there they were on the front row, Kyou with fist in the air, Ryu looking around worriedly, normal for a one-year-old. Kyou and I had decided to name him after her dad due to everything he’d done for us, from financing her schooling to helping me with my shoulder situation. Without the surgery, I don’t know what I would’ve done with my life. With my grades I probably would have ended up an electrician or something.

My smile broadened as I saw Ryou and Kappei sitting next to them. They were both on their feet; Kappei was pumping his fists and cheering, while Ryou simply clapped, her own version of cheering, I supposed. Next to Kappei sat Kotomi. She looked puzzled, sure, but at least my old friend was there to support me. Next to her were Sunohara and his sister, Mei. I don’t know how that bum was able to afford tickets but, in a strange way I was glad to see him, dark hair and all. From what I could see, he looked like he was yelling as loudly as he could, with the way Mei was leaning away from him.

I was surprised to see Yukine next. We hadn’t spoken much after…well, after she had planned to confess to me. I guess her being there meant there were no hard feelings.

Tomoyo wasn’t there which didn’t really surprise me; she had been busy running her campaign and, last I heard, was giving the mayor a sound thrashing. In a figurative sense, of course. Anyway, it was a shame she couldn’t be there; she and Kyou had become good friends over the last couple of years, much to my surprise.

Finally, Nagisa and her parents. Nagisa was in interesting one. I figured some lucky guy would have snatched her up by now; she was cute and had a big heart. Maybe it was her dad’s tendency to walk around with the baseball bat that scared guys away. It’d be a shame for her to never marry because of an overprotective dad.

I saw movement out of the corner of my eye and realized that our opponents we entering the court. We were going up against Brazil first; I had heard a lot of good things about their team, and was looking forward to testing my skill against theirs.

***

It was a good game, but we still lost by five points. I was content, though; I had given it my all and worked hard to make the Brazilian team earn every point.

In what seemed to be a pattern of behavior for my two favorite girls, my childhood friend got to me first. “Congratulations, Tomoya-kun…”

I smiled at her awkwardness. “Thanks Kotomi, but we still lost-”

To my surprise, she grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me straight in the eye. “But not because of you! You were more than a match for them! You scored 62.7 percent of the points for your team.”

“62.7 percent, huh?” I rubbed at the back of my neck. “You figured that all in your head, I take it?”

She nodded solemnly. “I kept a running total of your points and compared it to the running total of your team’s points.” She cocked her head. “That is how you determine percentages, remember?”

I couldn’t help but laugh, despite how tired I was feeling. “I remember, I remember. I was just amazed at how you could figure out the percentage in your head.”

“It is not hard to do.” She took a step closer. “I could teach you, if you would like.”

“WHOA, married man here!” I sputtered as I took a step back. “I’m glad you’re willing to help me, Kotomi-chan, but we need to talk about personal space and married men sometime.”

She cocked her head again. “I am sorry; I do not see the correla-”

“TOMOYA!” I heard the happy voice of my rescuer, and I turned to see Kyou hustling up to me with Ryu bundled in her arms. “You were amazing, Tomoya!” she exclaimed when she got close enough.

“Thanks Kyou, but we still lost-”

“But not because of you!” Kyou retorted, and I wondered if I was about to have a replay of my conversation with Kotomi. “If they just had more of you, you would have won, easily.”

“If they had two of Tomoya-kun,” Kotomi interjected, “they would have won by eighteen points.”

“See?” Kyou gestured to my friend. “Listen to the genius girl – well, woman – here.”

“Three of Tomoya-kun would have them winning by thirty-three points.”

Kyou blinked at Kotomi. “What if the team was all Tomoyas?”

Kotomi’s eyes widened and she blushed as she started wringing her hands. “Th-Th…They would have won by…by...”

Her behaviors had me worried. “Kotomi? Are you all right?”

“I-I am feeling…light-headed…” she reached out to me for support. “Please, I need to sit down.”

***

Kyou, carrying Ryu, intercepted me with a wry smile as I headed back with water for Kotomi and matched my pace. “She still has the hots for you, dreamboat.”

My hand found my forehead. “Seriously? After all this time?”

She nodded with a light chuckle. “She only has eyes for you. The whole time you were gone she was repeating ‘Tomoya-kun and Tomoya-kun’ over and over again. I think she overwhelmed herself imagining five of you.”

“Five of me…? Oh! The basketball team.” I snorted. “She always was an odd one.”

Kyou chuckled along with me, but then her tone turned serious. “Tell me the truth, Tomoya: If I weren’t in the picture, would you have married Kotomi?”

I stopped in my tracks; out of the corner of my eye I saw Kyou stop as well.

Would I? I’d never really thought about it. Kotomi was a sweet and funny girl in her own way, but…

Kyou apparently noticed my distress and came to my rescue. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that.” That had the effect of unfreezing my brain and we started walking again.

But before we passed through the door to where Kotomi was waiting, my wife stopped me. “Listen, Tomoya…this is going to sound really weird, but…if I go before you do…and she’s still available…I wouldn’t mind her being Ryu’s stepmother.”

I was floored; we hadn’t been married for very long, and already she was talking like this? “Kyou? You’re not planning on dying anytime soon, are you?”

She gently smacked my arm. “No, you idiot. But if something does happen, I want to make sure Ryu is taken care of.” She looked at me meaningfully.

There was only one thing that I could say. “If that happens…I’ll deal with it. But for now,” I put an arm around her and gazed into her eyes as I pulled her to me, “you’re my woman, and you’ll just have to deal with it.”

Her eyes widened in that very familiar way. “Yes, Master…”

I smiled as I kissed her on the nose. “Let’s get that water to Kotomi, okay?”

She nodded, her eyes still wide. I still didn’t know why she would sometimes call me ‘Master’ and I had a feeling that I never would.

It was fine, though; I was married to a great woman who was a great cook with a huge heart for taking care of others…I didn’t need to know all the details, did I?

_Rough Draft complete_


End file.
